April 10, 2016
We’re at Portage Bay in Kenepuru Sound tonight. Here are some scenes from our day. -Rich
Here’s where we are…
Portage Bay in the Kenepuru Sound (Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand)
April 10, 2016
Portage Bay is a big, wide bay backed by a mountain and protected hilly headlands. Nestled on a slope at the base of the mountain is the Portage Resort. Off to one side, mostly hidden from view, is a small campground. We’ve heard it can get windy here, but today it was placid and still.
We called the resort to ask for a mooring and make a reservation for dinner. They took our dinner reservation but informed us they don’t have any moorings; just anchor wherever we like. This was our first clue that something was off. We knew they used to have moorings because people had told us about them. But no matter, with all the space it was easy to find a spot to anchor.
By now the fog had lifted, and it was a beautiful day for our planned hike to Queen Charlotte Sound on the other side of the hills. We took the dinghy in, checking to make sure there were really no moorings–after all, the employee may have been misinformed. But just as she’d said, there were no moorings. Again, it didn’t matter to us, but we thought it was odd the resort had taken them out. (More to come about this in my next post.) –Cyndi
Below, a gallery of Portage Bay. (Click to enlarge and scroll.)
The Kenepuru Sound (Pelorus Sound, Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand)
April 10, 2016
The Kenepuru Sound is one of the must-do destinations in the Pelorus Sound area. It’s very pretty, but its main claim to fame is the Portage Resort and its long history of being the place to visit for special dinners and getaways. While it’s possible to get there by car, the usual way to visit is by water taxi or your own boat.
The map below shows where we went from Stafford Bay (in the Popoure Reach) to the Kenepuru Sound and Portage Bay. Just below that is Mahau Sound and the town of Havelock, where we didn’t plan to go but things change. Click on the markers to see what’s what, or zoom in and out.
As we headed into the Kenepuru Sound, we were surprised to have to make our way through a field of logs and tree debris.
Once we got through all that, we could appreciate our surroundings. For awhile, we had pine forest on one side vs. grass and cut forest on the other. Then about 3 miles in, it all abruptly changed natural forest. We began to see some tempting-looking anchorages, but our destination was Portage Bay. (Below a gallery of photos from Kenepuru Sound. Click to enlarge and scroll.)
As the fog lifted, we enjoyed seeing the hills and mountains emerging around us. Kenepuru was living up to its reputation as one of the prettiest sounds. –Cyndi
A Cloudy Ride down the Popoure Reach (Pelorus Sound, Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand)
April 10, 2016
Our trip today wasn’t long (about 16 miles), but we got up early so we could ride with the incoming tide. It was cold but beautiful, with low clouds drifting over the mountains and ridges while the sun shone through in other areas. (Below, a gallery of Popoure Reach in the early morning hours. Click to enlarge and scroll.)
Between the clouds and patches of fog, it was hard to get a sense of the mountains around us, but we did enjoy the cloud show. By the time we reached Kenepuru Sound, the clouds still lingered but started to lift. –Cyndi
Heading Down the Popoure Reach to Stafford Bay (Pelorus Sound, New Zealand)
April 9, 2016
The Popoure Reach heads inland for 12 miles, ending at Mahau Sound, the innermost of all the Marlborough Sounds. Branching off along the way is the Kenepuru Sound, our destination, but we’d be stopping at a place called Stafford Bay for the night.
The first thing we noticed about the Popoure Reach was that it was much greener than the rather barren-looking Tawhitinui Reach. On our left the mountains were covered with pine farms, and to our right was native New Zealand forest. This channel of water was about a mile wide, with impressive mountains on both sides. (Below a gallery of Popoure Reach–click to enlarge/scroll.)
We didn’t have far to go to get to Stafford Bay, nestled in a small indent protected by a boot-shaped peninsula. From a distance it didn’t look all that interesting, but as we got close we discovered this spot is actually very pretty.
Stafford Bay had the look of our favorite bays: steep lush hills, nikau palms, kiekie plants, and green water. Since there were two empty combined-club moorings, we picked one up, saving ourselves the effort of finding a spot to anchor. While I had mostly chosen bay this for it’s convenience, it turned out to be a worthwhile stop. –Cyndi
(Below a gallery of Safford Bay, photos taken at various times of the day. Click to enlarge/scroll.)
