Milford Sound, 2/17/2023, National Geographic Orion
Aboard the
National Geographic Orion
Australia and New Zealand
After breakfast on the aft deck, we entered Milford Sound, the most famous of the fiords of Fiordland National Park in the southwest corner of the South Island of Aotearoa/New Zealand. The staff was introduced, and we did our mandatory safety briefings so that we could get out and have some fun in our Zodiacs in the morning.
Everyone was treated to unusual and gorgeous sunny weather for Fiordland, a temperate rainforest. All the Zodiacs visited Stirling Falls and explored Milford Sound, finding a variety of birds and some New Zealand fur seals. As National Geographic Orion sailed out toward the Tasman Sea, a pod of dolphins decided to swim at the bow.
Many albatrosses and other pelagic birds were spotted as we sailed south toward our next destination. Some guests attended talks given by the staff while others took advantage of downtime. The day concluded with cocktail hour, recap, and introductions of the senior staff by the captain.
I like to remind people that there are very few big surprises left in life, but if you are out in nature, with an open mind and a lot of time, you never know what you will find.
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On February 6th, 1840, a treaty was signed between British and Māori leaders here at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. This document would come to define many aspects of the relationship between Māori and British people up to the present day. This important cultural and historic site holds many stories and offers an unparalleled learning opportunity for all of us, as well as a way to contextualize the voyage we have been on together. We started by visiting Ngātokimatawhaorua, the largest Māori war canoe in existence. It was built from kauri trees and first launched in 1940 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the treaty. It is a powerful symbol of Māori unity, and it reflects the history of Kupe. The first Polynesian to land in Aotearoa, Kupe arrived in a voyaging canoe called Matawhaorua. From there, we walked the same trail the leaders walked on the day they signed the treaty in 1840. We saw the Treaty House, which was home to a British representative sent by the King of England in the 1800s. A highlight of the day was the Māori cultural performance that took place inside the intricately carved and peaceful whare. Expedition leader Andrew Peacock gave a short speech in response to our Māori hosts as part of the protocol for entering and attending the event. After that, we enjoyed a sampling of dance, song, and cultural interpretation that left us with a deeper understanding of these Māori houses and their significance. In contrast to the morning, we then visited the town of Russell. The site was taken over by British colonizers and became a hub for whaling, trading, and general debauchery. Today it is a tidy tourist town, and our guides pointed out the highlights – including church pew cushions depicting intricate scenes of local wildlife and maritime living. We head to Auckland now after a very full final day of this voyage.
Today we visited Glenfern Sanctuary, which arose from the passion and efforts of one man. Tony Bouzaid was a New Zealand businessman who made his fortune in the building industry, but he had a deep love for the natural world. In 1990, Bouzaid purchased an 83-hectare property on Great Barrier Island with the aim of turning it into a sanctuary for endangered species. As a child, he had spent time in Aotea and had memories of a cacophony of bird songs…which turned into silence because of deforestation. Tony poured his time, energy, and resources into the project, which eventually became the Glenfern Sanctuary. Bouzaid passed away in 2011, but his legacy lives on through the sanctuary, now run by Christine and Steve Clemow. Our visit started with a talk in the lounge by Steve, who told us about the challenges of keeping unwanted species on the other side of the fence. Glenfern Sanctuary has managed to completely eliminate predators such as possums, mustelids, hedgehogs, and Norway rats. Their focus now is on keeping ship and kiore rats at low levels and preventing any cat incursions that could harm native species of birds and reptiles. To achieve this, Glenfern has over 40 km of trap lines and 800 traps that are monitored remotely. We disembarked to see the results of three decades of conservation efforts and spotted numerous piwakawakas, tuis, kākās, kererūs, and grey warblers. This was our third and last visit to Glenfern Sanctuary this season, but we are already looking forward to visiting this extraordinary place when National Geographic Orion returns to New Zealand next year. Photographers: Rodrigo Moterani and Kelly Coursey-Gray
“Water, water everywhere…,” and that is exactly how we woke, to beautiful cloud formations resting over the Pacific Ocean. We were sailing northeast along the coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Last week, the devastating effects of Cyclone Gabrielle left much of North Island dealing with its aftermath, including landslides, floods, shattered towns and cities, and destroyed infrastructure, including ports, bridges, and roads. Plans to visit Napier and Gisborne weren’t workable, so we traveled the coastal waters, en route to the Great Barrier Islands farther to the north. This morning, we enjoyed a presentation by Jenny Kingsley entitled, “A Modern History of Polynesian Voyaging.” We learned of the efforts to revive the ancient navigational knowledge and technology that allowed Polynesians to discover all the islands of the South Pacific. Her presentation was followed by the documentary film, Whetu Marama: Bright Star , the story of Hek Busby (Hekenukumai Ngaiwi Puhipi) and his part in the revival of navigation in New Zealand as a boat builder and bridge builder across the Pacific. We were treated to a delicious barbecue lunch featuring all the favorites before Taylor Simpkins presented her discussion, “Kelp Forests of New Zealand.” This is a passion of Taylor’s and also the subject of her PhD research. Later in the afternoon, we were invited to the main lounge to explore our creativity with Jenny and Mary Everton by “mapping” our voyage onto an outline of New Zealand’s coast. Everyone had their own ideas about how to reflect their experiences during our voyage. A photo feedback session with Lisa Hornak and Macduff Everton completed our afternoon activities. Earlier in the morning, Lisa and Macduff collected photos from those who wanted to share them for constructive feedback. The afternoon session offered considerable information on alternative ways to make the images “sing.”
