Just another regular day to report: breathtaking scenery, new experiences, fascinating knowledge.
This time in and around Doubtful Sound, another unspoilt wilderness. The whole area is, happily, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fine weather allowed our boat to go out of the Sound into the Tasman Sea - letting us look left, where the next landfall is Antarctica, then turn round and see the view that faced Lieutenant James Cook (not a Captain then) in early 1770. Wary of the Sound's narrow channels and small islands, he rejected his colleagues' pleas to land and noted on his map 'Doubtful Harbour'. The name stuck.
There, who said this blog was just about sheep puns?
We kept up our luck with the weather, but also maintained a less enviable run. As one or two of you know, our dolphin-spotting record is not the best, and today was par for the course. There are dolphins in Doubtful Sound - no doubt about it - but they failed to appear today. Still, more chances later in the trip.
Tomorrow we bid a fond farewell to Fjordland and the Southern Alps, and head south-east to Invercargill. That will open the possibility of a trip to Stewart Island, depending on weather and our inclination. All this, and still wine, whales and beaches to come. (I really wanted to say wine, women and song - but maybe that can be arranged.)
Time I took a break from the blog - I'll let Barb and Steve fight for tomorrow's slot. Best wishes (and thanks for the comments), Stew.
This time in and around Doubtful Sound, another unspoilt wilderness. The whole area is, happily, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fine weather allowed our boat to go out of the Sound into the Tasman Sea - letting us look left, where the next landfall is Antarctica, then turn round and see the view that faced Lieutenant James Cook (not a Captain then) in early 1770. Wary of the Sound's narrow channels and small islands, he rejected his colleagues' pleas to land and noted on his map 'Doubtful Harbour'. The name stuck.
There, who said this blog was just about sheep puns?
We kept up our luck with the weather, but also maintained a less enviable run. As one or two of you know, our dolphin-spotting record is not the best, and today was par for the course. There are dolphins in Doubtful Sound - no doubt about it - but they failed to appear today. Still, more chances later in the trip.
Tomorrow we bid a fond farewell to Fjordland and the Southern Alps, and head south-east to Invercargill. That will open the possibility of a trip to Stewart Island, depending on weather and our inclination. All this, and still wine, whales and beaches to come. (I really wanted to say wine, women and song - but maybe that can be arranged.)
Time I took a break from the blog - I'll let Barb and Steve fight for tomorrow's slot. Best wishes (and thanks for the comments), Stew.
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