16th February 2024 to 24th February 2024
Fiordland: Doubtful Sound To Stewart Island, New Zealand
From £3549 per person
Deposit 25%. Balance due 12wks before embarkation
7 nights: 16 - 24 February 2024
Price: From AUD $6,750 / £3,549 per person
*Trips are priced in the operator's local currency. The sterling amount shown is a guide only and the amount you pay in sterling will change with currency fluctuations.
This expedition deep into the Fiordland Region of New Zealand is like stepping back into the untouched world before time began. Stillness and silence are something you’ll experience at a whole new level as we explore one of the hardest to get to parts, of this great country. We’ll meet at the head of Doubtful Sound and depart on a journey of exploration you’ll never forget. After spending our first night together in Doubtful Sound, we’ll sail the 72-foot Te Kaihōpara to Dagg Sound, followed by Breaksea Sound, Chalky Inlet, and Preservation Inlet before the final leg to Oban, Stewart Island.
We will enjoy spectacular anchorages along the way and take in the dramatic scenery, surrounded by virgin forest that descends from thousands of feet above us to sea level.
You can bus to Te Anau via Queenstown on or before the 16th of February 2024. When you arrive we’ll familiarise you with the yacht, systems and safety equipment and you will join us for a crew welcome dinner on our first night at anchor in Fiordland. For the first 2 days, we’ll explore Doubtful Sound also known as ‘the sound of silence’. Doubtful Sound is only accessible by sea and covering more the 24nm, it holds the title of Fiordland’s deepest fiord. With its wilderness-encased mountains, stunning stone cliffs, waterfalls and tranquil coves and inlets, it’s an incredible backdrop to this last stage of our adventure. Our stops here could include; Blanket Bay, Snug Cove, Precipice Cove, the Shelter Islands, Macdonell Island, Pandora River, Deas Cove and Open Bay.
We’ll depart Doubtful Sound we’ll head for our next stop in Dagg Sound, where we’ll anchor in a basin surrounded by high mountains on each side. We have no fixed schedule on this expedition and we’ll head to each new destination only when we are happy to move on. After Dagg, we’ll head to Breaksea Sound and Preservation Inlet.
Preservation Inlet was once thriving in gold mining and forestry activity, with 2,000+ people working in these industries in bitterly cold conditions in the late 1800’s. Most remnants of these activities and been reclaimed by nature, however there are still historical mining ruins that can be hiked to. Preservation Inlet is also the home of New Zealand’s first whaling station at Cuttle Cove. We’ll go ashore and take the 1 hour hike to Puysegur Point lighthouse. It’s New Zealand’s windiest lighthouse location and can only be accessed by boat. We’ll tie up to a the same fallen tree, in a sheltered cove that Captain Cook tied the HMS Resolution to, when undertaking repairs more than 250 years ago.
Our final leg will be easterly bound, through Foveaux Strait to Stewart Island where we’ll pick a great location to anchor and share our last crew dinner together before sailing into Oban as the final stop. It is recommended that you book your onward travel from Stewart Island after 3pm on the 24th of February, to ensure plenty of time in case of delays.
Your crew package includes; all meals onboard, crew meals ashore in Auckland, Milford Sound and at stopovers enroute, accommodation onboard, your Ocean Sailing Expeditions crew shirt, marina fees, the use of a PFD (personal floatation device), PLB (personal locator beacon), and a safety tether. Your bedding, a pillow and towel are also included along with suncream.
Your crew package excludes; accommodation ashore, flights and transport to and from departure and arrival ports, alcohol, toiletries, clothing and wet weather gear. You will need to complete a 2-day Sea Safety and Survival Training Course or equivalent at least 1 month prior.
Its always recommended that you book flights with date flexibility incase of unforeseen changes due to weather or schedules. Accommodation options if you want to stay ashore either side of trip: AirBNB, Booking.com, Wotif & HomeAway.
Te Anau via Queenstown, New Zealand
Stewart Island, Oban
You can bus to Te Anau via Queenstown on or before the 16th of February 2024. When you arrive we’ll familiarise you with the yacht, systems and safety equipment and you will join us for a crew welcome dinner on our first night at anchor in Fiordland. For the first 2 days, we’ll explore Doubtful Sound also known as ‘the sound of silence’. Doubtful Sound is only accessible by sea and covering more the 24nm, it holds the title of Fiordland’s deepest fiord. With its wilderness-encased mountains, stunning stone cliffs, waterfalls and tranquil coves and inlets, it’s an incredible backdrop to this last stage of our adventure. Our stops here could include; Blanket Bay, Snug Cove, Precipice Cove, the Shelter Islands, Macdonell Island, Pandora River, Deas Cove and Open Bay.
We’ll depart Doubtful Sound we’ll head for our next stop in Dagg Sound, where we’ll anchor in a basin surrounded by high mountains on each side. We have no fixed schedule on this expedition and we’ll head to each new destination only when we are happy to move on. After Dagg, we’ll head to Breaksea Sound and Preservation Inlet.
Preservation Inlet was once thriving in gold mining and forestry activity, with 2,000+ people working in these industries in bitterly cold conditions in the late 1800’s. Most remnants of these activities and been reclaimed by nature, however there are still historical mining ruins that can be hiked to. Preservation Inlet is also the home of New Zealand’s first whaling station at Cuttle Cove. We’ll go ashore and take the 1 hour hike to Puysegur Point lighthouse. It’s New Zealand’s windiest lighthouse location and can only be accessed by boat. We’ll tie up to a the same fallen tree, in a sheltered cove that Captain Cook tied the HMS Resolution to, when undertaking repairs more than 250 years ago.
Our final leg will be easterly bound, through Foveaux Strait to Stewart Island where we’ll pick a great location to anchor and share our last crew dinner together before sailing into Oban as the final stop. It is recommended that you book your onward travel from Stewart Island after 3pm on the 24th of February, to ensure plenty of time in case of delays.
