Month: April 2016

April 5, 2016

Motuara Island is one of New Zealand’s “singing islands,” places that have become refuges for native birds. They’re like a porthole back into time, what New Zealand’s forests were like before human-introduced predators (stoats, rats and Australian possums) decimated much of the native bird population. Thankfully many of these species have been saved and now thrive in protected wildlife areas like this one.

Motuara is not a very sheltered anchorage, but anchoring near the pier gave us protection from the light southerly winds. We noticed passengers from small tour boat disembark before we got ashore and hoped to stay behind the group. There’s only one path here, a 20-minute uphill walk ending at a lookout tower alongside a monument to Captain Cook.

Once ashore, the first thing we noticed was the birdsong, so distinct in area like this. Soon, a friendly, curious New Zealand robin started trailing us, and we were seeing more and more birds in the trees around us. As we climbed higher we admired some impressive views of neighboring islands and the outer sound. We were also visited by more robins, who seemed totally unafraid of people.

We caught up to the small beehive of a tour group, some gathered around Captain Cook’s monument while others were squeezed onto the platform of the lookout tower. We didn’t let that deter us and squeezed in there with them, eavesdropping as their guide told stories about Captain Cook’s visits to this area. We didn’t stay long, though, and were able to get ahead of the group. (Below a gallery of photos from the Motuara trail. Click to enlarge and scroll.)

This didn’t last long. I was stopping so often to take photos of birds and scenery that the tour people caught up to us, bypassing us in groups of twos and threes. What struck us was that every single one of these people was so deep in conversation that no one was so much as glancing at the views, much less noticing any of the birds. We stood aside and let them all pass, relived when this group of chatterboxes all got back onto their boat and headed off. Now that the noisy group was gone, more and more birds started to appear.

Come to find out, we were near a small pond that serves as a communal bird bath, and if you’re quiet and patient, they’ll come bathe right in front of you. The park has even built a small, multi-level seating area by the pond so you can sit and watch.

And so we watched, and soon we were treated to bathing saddlebacks, robins, and yellow-crowned kakariki, all rare and endangered. Rich was sitting, but I stayed standing so I could film them. Rich kept telling me to be careful not to step on the robin who continually stood at my feet watching me, probably wondering why I was so interested in those other goofball birds when I had a much more interesting bird right at my feet.

Below, a gallery and a video clip of the bathing bird follies. The saddlebacks are the birds with the wattles on their cheeks, and the kakariki are the little green parrots. The New Zealand robin is the blackish bird, looking up at me and wanting reassurance that, in spite of photographing the other birds, I loved him best.

After awhile, it was time to head back to Legacy and start our journey to the Pelorus Sound, but this had been well worth taking the time to do. In fact I would say it’s a must-do for bird lovers; just don’t bring your talkative friends.–Cyndi

April 5, 2016

The wind died overnight, and scattered remaining clouds made for a beautiful golden morning. We went outside to admire the bay, and the combination of light and lush vegetation gave this place a kind of Magic Eye effect: the longer we looked, the more overlapping layers appeared in the hills, and the more multidimensional the scene appeared. It’s a strange visual phenomenon that happens sometimes, especially New Zealand.

Ship Cove is the beginning (or end for those going the opposite way) of the Queen Charlotte Track. People come and go on water taxis during the day; so we appreciated having the bay to ourselves this morning.

On our previous visit we’d had time to wander around the lawn and visit the monuments, but there wasn’t enough time for us to walk the beginning of the Queen Charlotte Track. Ordinarily this wouldn’t have mattered to me with all the bits and pieces we’d already done, but something about this area of the trail looked particularly beautiful and enticing.

Today, we started on the track by going through a tunnel of greenery at the end of the dock. As we followed the trail up through the forest, our surroundings became even more beautiful. This was classic New Zealand subtropical forest at its best. Eventually the vegetation began to change, becoming more dry and open as we gained altitude. We would love to have walked to the first lookout point, but that would have taken more time than we had.  (You can click to enlarge/scroll though gallery below.)

Rich and I have only done small pieces of the Queen Charlotte Track. Some of the best viewpoints require far more hiking than we’re willing or able to do, but the photos we’ve seen online are pretty impressive. Still, if I were to pick just one piece of this track to do on a day hike, it would be this one, going either from Ship Cove to Resolution Bay or the Furneaux Lodge. Of course for those who prioritize amazing views, I’d recommend walking a portion of the ridge trail that runs from Punga Cove to Anakiwa.

For those with the fitness level, time, and energy, it would be incredible to do the entire 45-mile Queen Charlotte Track. For us, it was time to head back to the boat, pull anchor, and visit our final anchorage in the Queen Charlotte Sound: Motuara Island. –Cyndi

April 4, 2016

This was the view of Legacy in Ship Cove this morning. That’s a monument to Captain James Cook on the beach. At very top of every page of our website is a picture of Legacy, taken back in 1998, with the Cook monument in front of her, that time in Hawaii. Deja vu?

April 4, 2016

The southerly winds would die out during the night, and tomorrow would bring the kind of calm, settled weather we’d need for our trip to the Pelorus Sounds. We’d need to round Cape Jackson (the outer point of Queen Charlotte Sound) at slack tide, then make a 4-hour trip on the open ocean before heading through a pass into the next area of sounds.

Our planned last stop before leaving Queen Charlotte Sound was its most well-known and loved anchorage: Ship Cove. There are several reasons it’s so popular.

First, it’s the outermost anchorage in Queen Charlotte Sound and the best place to leap off for a trip to areas west (the Pelorus Sounds, D’Urville Island, and the city of Nelson). Conversely, it’s a convenient first stop when coming into Queen Charlotte Sound.

Second, it’s a historic landmark. James Cook chose to make a settlement here for a few months while he overhauled his ship. He then returned here four times during his voyages in the Pacific. It’s no surprise there’s a monument to him here.

(Rich and I can certainly relate to making settlements–we call it settling in–and returning multiple times to work on our boat. I’m sure our settlements involve far more pizza and beer than James Cook’s did.)

Third, and I’m sure the same reason Cook chose to stay here, is that there’s something really nice about this place. It’s beautiful and well protected in most winds, but beyond that, this place has an extra something special. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what this X factor is, but it just feels nice to be here. It’s why, in spite of the fact we’d had time to walk around here during our mail boat cruise, we wanted to return.

Below, a gallery of photos from our mail boat cruise stop. The bird is a weka. I don’t know what weka means in Maori, but in English it means don’t set down your camera, lunch, or any other object you don’t want to see running off into the forest.  Click to enlarge and scroll.

Even though the southerly winds had not quite died down, we decided to pick up and leave Punga Cove and make the 2-hour journey in cold, windy conditions to Ship Cove so we could spend the night there. This would give us time to go ashore early in the morning and hike a bit more of the Queen Charlotte Track before visiting nearby Motuara Island, a bird sanctuary. After that, we’d start our journey to the Pelorus Sounds.

Above a map showing our trip from Punga Resort to Ship Cove and Motuara Island.   You can click on the markers to see what’s what.  (We bypassed pretty Resolution Bay because we were short on time and had visited it on the mail boat.) Below, our early evening arrival at Ship Cove. –Cyndi

April 2 and 3, 2016

Every few days a particular weather pattern affects the Sounds (at least at this time of year). It starts with a day of strong northerly winds, followed by a day of strong southerly winds. The northerly winds aren’t very cold, but they may bring some rain. The southerly winds are drier, but they’re also quite cold. This windy period is generally followed by a few days of beautiful weather: warm, sunny, and calm. These are the days where one can enjoy cruising the sounds without worry about the wind.

We’d been out for a few days now, and the next round of winds was due to arrive. One complicating factor in this weather pattern: the switch from northerly to southerly winds often happens during the night. The best thing to do in this case is find an “all weather anchorage.” There was one in the Endeavour Inlet across from Punga Cove called Tawa Bay.

We planned to head there after our first night in Punga Cove, but one of the resort’s workers had advised us to take one of their moorings that was tucked behind a headland. We already had southerly protection here, but at this particular mooring we’d have northerly protection, too.

Once we’d settled in on our new mooring, we realized we could be very comfortable here during the windy weather. The disadvantage was, without having dinner at the restaurant, it would be $25NZD per night. The advantage was Rich managed to get pretty good internet access here.

In the end, internet access, afternoon pizzas at their Boatshed Cafe and Bar, a walk on the Queen Charlotte trail to nearby Camp Cove, and the convenience of not having to pick up and move won out. We stayed put in Punga Cove. (Below, photos of our rainy day. Click to enlarge and scroll through any gallery.)

We ended up having a very nice time. The rain passed, and while we could see whitecaps in the middle of the bay, our area behind the headland was calm. The seas were a bit sloppy by the dinghy dock, and we were concerned about our dinghy getting banged against it. No problem; we just hauled it up and let it sit on the dock. We could now enjoy pizza and a walk to neighboring Camp Cove on the Queen Charlotte Track with no worries about our boat or dinghy. (Below, photos from Camp Cove.)

We ended up staying here three nights in all. After the rainy period we enjoyed some nice sunsets . . .

But the most impressive night was the indigo blue night we had after our first dinner. It’s not often I’ve seen a night this blue. –Cyndi