Joining the Expedition. We will arrange for a complimentary shuttle bus to pick you up from your Te Anau accommodation and transfer you to the arranged transport to take you across Lake Manapouri and the Wilmont Pass to Deep Cove. On arrival you will be welcomed aboard the Strannik where we will introduce you to the team and the vessel. We plan to get underway and begin our exploration of Doubtful Sound shortly thereafter.

It is often claimed the Southern Fiords are the most spectacular, they are certainly the most expansive, with multiple arms or Fiords feeding into them, forming a labyrinth of exciting waterways and anchorages. The further south you travel the less precipitous the surrounding hills are and the number of Islands within each of the Fiords increases significantly. On this expedition we will explore each of the Southern Fiords using the early journals, maps and diaries of the first explorers, as well as reports from present day researchers and scientists to gain a greater appreciation of these truly remarkable places. This, coupled with an opportunity to see and experience first-hand the landscape and sites referred to in this literature will make for a memorable expedition. The journals of Captain Cook, who anchored in Dusky Sound from March to May 1773, gives us fascinating insights into pre-European history; his writings document his own exploration of the Fiords and explains many of the place names. Other early writers, like Andreas Reischek and Richard Henry, shed light onto the unique and abundant wildlife that was found here and, with intensive management by the Department of Conservation staff (and others) is slowly returning. Further South in Preservation Inlet the prospecting and mining period is well recorded and the relics and artefacts of the towns, gold mines and sawmills that once dotted its shores will help us appreciate and understand this period. The rugged coastal landscapes of these Fiords are nowhere better experienced and appreciated than at Puysguer Point. It is both a journey through history and some of New Zealand’s (if not the world’s) most stunning land and seascapes. It is hard to imagine that you would be disappointed.

Breakfast aboard the Strannik anchored in the upper reaches of Long Sound, then sadly it’s time for our farewells, before transferring to the heliport to join a helicopter transfer back to Te Anau.

This itinerary is the Southbound itinerary departing 11th Septmeber. The 7th November departure is Northbound operates in reverse.