Page 68 - 2008 NZ Subantarctic Islands
P. 68
there were several more trails we could have ambled, but time
constraints and the need to share with our fellow passengers
constrained us. However, we break out from the forested areas
onto Boulder Beach and Sydney Cove where we spotted fairy
(blue) penguin footprints and saw a weka pair with their fluffy
gray chick. Since the parents are a brown color, we surmised that
somewhere along life’s way, the little weka chick will become that
same hue. And because Ulva is such a protected habitat, there is
no reason to fear that he or she will not grow up and help
continue the rise of the weka population here!
We were all a little regretful as we left Stewart Island to sail for
Dusky Sound and Milford Sound on the Southwest coast of the
South Island. But we should have anticipated that there would be
some treats in store for us there too. What we did not bargain for
was the gushing downpours of rain and heavy clouds that would
change the views of these two famous sounds.
Chapter 15. Dusky Sound
We entered the long fjord which creates Dusky Sound in early
morning and the rain was already misting down from the low-
hanging clouds. The tops of the walls forming the fjord were
enveloped in the white and gray shawls of cloud, but the beauty
was not obscured. The high mountain walls were slick and black
and the whole view became a striking black and white scene with
the clouds, the dark waters, the grey-white sky, and jet-black
granite surrounding the whole scene. The ship cruised slowly
through the narrow passage and we all were struck by the quiet
beauty around us. As we tooled around the Sound, some of the
passengers were lucky enough to see NZ fur seals and crested
fjordland penguins on the shoreline and in the water. These
68