We had a gorgeous and sunny blue-sky day in Dusky Sound in Fiordland National Park on the South Island of Aotearoa/New Zealand. This is relatively unusual weather for this temperate rainforest. We took the opportunity to Zodiac cruise around Anchor Island in these amazing, calm, and beautiful conditions, and everyone loved it!
In Zodiacs, we meandered through the various islands and inlets. We spotted New Zealand fur seals in all sorts of places. They were swimming, sunning themselves, and hiding under the shrubbery. More birds were heard than seen, but quite a few kererūs (New Zealand wood pigeons) were spotted flying overhead. A couple Zodiacs stopped to talk with a local fisherman about the price of crayfish and the business of the day. Each vessel held two naturalists, and we were able to answer most of the guests’ questions and offer a variety of perspectives during our adventure.
National Geographic Orion circumnavigated Long Island before heading out to the Tasman Sea on our transit to Stewart Island.
