Exploring Fiordland

Our holiday started with an exciting 20-minute helicopter ride over snow-covered mountains and ended with a massive earthquake.

In between, things were decidedly more relaxed  aboard the MV Affinity in the pristine fiords.

Our helicopter put down at the eastern end of Dusky Sound on a four by four metre landing area, consisting of timber poles, bolted together on the beach. We were ferried out to the moored MV Affinity.

The vessel, 63 ft long and weighing 68 tons is skippered by owner Brian Appleby. It sails in the Marlborough Sounds in the summer and spends the winter in Fiordland, when the weather is more settled down south.

We were briefed for our voyage, fed an excellent lunch, then sailed away to do a spot of fishing. Then began our time of exploration. We had very little rain, very calm seas and a cheery cook who fed us fresh fish, crayfish, roasts, home baking with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables  determining that we all should be several kilograms heavier.

There were no roads and, apart from a few Department of Conservation huts, no buildings, maybe a dozen other vessels, including a couple of house-boats complete with their helicopter landing-pads  and NO cell phones or computers.

In 1773 Captain Cook, his ship Resolution and crew spent five weeks having a well-earned rest and recreation break there.

We had three shore excursions. First to Astronomer's Point from where Cook's scientist, William Wales observed the transit of Venus. Then to Pigeon Island where Richard Henry, a government appointed caretaker/curator lived for 15 years at the turn of the century, rescuing endangered birds for release onto Resolution Island.

The last onshore excursion was to Anchor Island, where a sealing gang of 240 people lived in 1795 and where the first non-Maori dwelling, shipwreck, and ship-building venture took place. We understand that a baby was born down here then, making it the first non-Maori child to be born in this country.

We were grateful for the many history books on board.

In this World Heritage Park the bush is pristine, with not a wilding pine to be seen and only photos may be taken out.

The many islands of Dusky Sound were clad in rimu, beeches, tree-ferns, totara and other natives, with ferns and mosses everywhere. Dolphins and seals entertained us, we saw penguins, fed the fish at different anchorages and had our fishing efforts scrutinised by the ever-present molymawks. The towering cliffs of up to 1600m, falling away to depths of 350m in places, the reflections in the black water and the waterfalls all made for wonderful photo opportunities.

At night, we viewed the clear night sky, appreciated the lack of noise, then slept in comfortable cabins in calm, sheltered anchorages.

Then came the rougher trip up the coast to Doubtful Sound. We had one night there amid more wonderful scenery, a few more vessels, waterfalls, hanging valleys before landing at the Deep Cove jetty where we boarded a bus.

We visited the Manapouri power station, boated across the lake then bussed to Te Anau, looking forward to a hot bath and dinner.

Later, at 9.22pm, came THE BIG SHAKE. We were in our rooms on the third floor of our hotel and what began as a small rumble and tremor turned into the 7.8 earthquake.

We swayed as we walked to the door and joined the assembling dressing-gown party in the passage.

Then it was all over, but the togetherness stayed on. We realised that this had been a big one and that we had all lived to tell the tale.

Looking back on our memories, we realise that the beauty of Fiordland is there for everyone, locked in the protection of World Heritage status and guarded by the responsible efforts of tourist operators like Brian Appleby.

- The Marlborough Express