Page 68 - 2008 NZ Subantarctic Islands

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

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