- CAPTAIN'S LOG / New Zealand
- 4 December 2020
THE SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND is a land forged by ice and fire, where snow-capped mountains tower above deep, cool fiords, and verdant temperate rainforest is edged by immense glaciers and milky-blue snowmelt streams. A place where picturesque sounds and magnificent national parks create an adventure cruising ground guests will never forget as they float past seals playing in sparkling waterfalls and watch killer whales breach in empty bays.
With unique cruising opportunities, spectacular scenery and thrill-seeking adventure galore, you won’t find high-end stores or Michelin-starred restaurants along the waterfronts, but when you have a private chef on board and you can catch your own seafood, why dine ashore?
Most visiting yachts will have already cleared into New Zealand before arriving in the South Island, but if not, Picton, Nelson, Lyttelton (Christchurch), Timaru, Dunedin and Bluff are all approved ports of first arrival. (See Turquoise seas and hot springs for more information on clearance formalities.)
The Marlborough Sounds also offers some fantastic cruising through the myriad of picturesque bays. Within Queen Charlotte Sound guests can fish and dive, hike the Queen Charlotte track, visit Motuara Island wildlife reserve, and visit Ship Cove where Captain Cook repaired his ships on his discovery voyages to New Zealand.
Pelorus Sound is larger but not as busy for boating traffic, and is home to mussel farms and plentiful scallops. The NZ Fishing Rules app is a handy resource for fishing restrictions.
Marlborough is most well-known as a wine region, and you’ll find plenty of options for tours around the vineyards.
Picton, at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound in the Marlborough Sounds, is a fairly small town with a marina suitable for yachts up to 35 metres and a small supermarket, while Blenheim’s large supermarkets and airport is about a 30-minute drive south.
Due to its topography, winds in the sounds can be variable and shifty, but there’s always a sheltered spot and holding is generally good. Best time to visit is through the summer months, from December to March.
To the west of the Marlborough Sounds is the city of Nelson and the Abel Tasman National Park. Nelson is a great place to stay in between trips, offering good refit and repair facilities and plenty of activities for crew downtime. It’s also a superb area for sea kayaking, with numerous companies offering guided kayaking trips. This region is popular with locals and tourists, with the busiest period from Christmas until late January.
The National Park is stunning, with golden sandy beaches and clear water; guests can walk sections of the Abel Tasman Track or dine ashore at Awaroa Lodge.
It’s a little over 400 nautical miles from Nelson to Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park. Favourable conditions to transit are important; this coast is exposed to everything the Southern Ocean can throw at it, and there’s no shelter along the way. It’s wise to stay well offshore if there has been recent significant rainfall on the west coast as the flooding rivers push debris well out to sea.
You’ll also need to comply with biosecurity regulations and obtain a Clean Vessel Pass. But once you’re there it’s so worth it, as cruising the fiords is an amazing experience.
There’s a helpful resource for cruising Fiordland called Beneath the Reflections that can be downloaded from the Fiordland Marine Guardians website (fmg.org.nz).
Aside from admiring the numerous waterfalls, cascades and breathtaking scenery, the fishing and diving in Fiordland is a must.
Crayfish are plentiful, and the fish will fight each other for your bait.
Due to the significant amount of rainfall, parts of the sounds have a layer of fresh water stained with tannins from the surrounding vegetation, and this fresh water sits on top of the saltwater in a layer that can be up to 10 metres deep. These areas of stained, fresh water diffuse the light penetration, meaning that black coral can be found in around 40 metres of depth rather than below the usual 200 metres.
Milford Sound is a good place to embark guests as there’s an airstrip and helipad. However, anchorages are very limited and the tourist boats occupy the wharves, so ask permission from tour operators before using their wharf to pick up or drop off guests.
Doubtful Sound and its connecting sounds are ideal to spend multiple nights without having to venture into open water, as are Breaksea and Dusky Sounds further south.
There is no mobile phone or data network in Fiordland. The hostel at Deep Cove at the head of Doubtful Sound has wi-fi available for purchase if you’re not connected on board.
Stock up on insect repellent before heading to Fiordland; you wouldn’t want to run out.
Anchorages throughout Fiordland are typically deep water, and you’ll usually find a suitable anchorage at the head of each sound. Due to the mountainous and narrow nature of the sounds, winds can increase or shift rapidly. A small true wind shift could change the direction of wind from down the sound to up, transforming an idyllic anchorage into an untenable one fairly quickly.
Some sounds have near-vertical mountains rising more than 1000 metres above the yacht, which leads to GPS signal loss at times.
There are numerous small helipads throughout Fiordland with helicopter companies servicing nearby Queenstown – a thrill-seeker’s paradise offering bungy jumping, white-water rafting, and a range of other adrenaline-pumping activities. This spectacular lakeside city is also home to luxury lodges, wineries, world-class golf courses and excellent restaurants.
Visiting Queenstown by helicopter from Fiordland is a brilliant guest activity, as a flight over the Southern Alps is an experience of its own. The crew will also enjoy Queenstown; if they don’t get a chance to visit while in Fiordland, Queenstown is well connected with domestic flights from all major cities in New Zealand.
Stewart Island is another otherworldly destination whose remoteness disguises an amazing cruising area. Much less mountainous than Fiordland, Stewart Island offers pristine sandy beaches and wonderful hiking, fishing and diving, all set among the National Park that comprises 85 percent of the island.
At the protected anchorages of Paterson Inlet, see kiwi birds in their natural habitat and explore the region’s whaling base history.
Further south on Stewart Island, Port Adventure and Lords River are good for exploring, while Port Pegasus to the far south offers numerous protected anchorages, waterfalls and New Zealand’s southernmost beach, which is home to a sea lion colony.
For bringing guests or provisions into Stewart Island, the small community of Oban has daily connections by ferry from Bluff or by air from Invercargill. The best time to cruise Fiordland and Stewart Island is January to March. You’ll have plenty of daylight each day to explore, as the sun sets well after 9 pm during the summer months.
The east coast of the South Island has numerous harbours if required. Bluff, Port Chalmers/Dunedin, Timaru and Lyttelton all have commercial ports, while Lyttelton also has a dry dock. There are numerous anchorages around Banks Peninsula to break up a coastal passage, with the town of Akaroa well worth a visit. Port Underwood toward the top of the South Island also provides good protection.
With anchorages that have been carved out by ancient glaciers and volcanic eruptions, the South Island of New Zealand offers something different to your usual cruising and the climate, although temperate at times, only adds to the magic of the scenery.
When the sun is shining and the fish are biting, there’s no place quite like the South Island of New Zealand.