Marlborough Sounds with Tutanekai
Our expeditions are more in-depth multi-day experiences for those who prefer to go deeper. A huge area of relatively untouched islands and inlets with the area's true guardians as your guides aboard a classic launch custom-built for the conditions. About 10% of the area in this map is what is usually visited by time-poor tourists. On an expedition with Tutanekai, the only thing which limits what you see is how much time you give us.
3 days exploring the Sounds, learning the Maori Oral Histories, guided walks on Island Bird sanctuaries, exploring Maori fortified Pa sites, old shore based whaling settlement, and the derelict whaling station as well as Captain Cooks shore base
In Pete Beech's own words below....
Your idea about 3 day expeditions up to d’Urville Island is a good one , d,Urville is one of NZ’s last frontiers, it is fantastic up there, the tidal flow with the big whirlpools that you experience going thru French Pass would have to be one of the wonders of the natural world, there is a hole in the rock, just like the one in the Bay of Islands, and steaming over the boulder bank at Greville Harbour into an inlet that snakes right up into the very heart of the island and anchor in the most incredibly sheltered inlet, surrounded by native bush is surreal, it could be blowing its guts out and you wouldn’t feel a thing in there.
You can steam right around the island, thru Hells Gate between d’Urville and Stevens Island, we can take them ashore at Black Beach that is literally covered in Pakohe the black Argilite that Maori used for tool making can also find Pounamu on this beach. d’Urville is part of what they call the mineral Belt, you can find, copper deposits, Pakohe, Pounamu and other volcanic rocks, the boulder bank was formed by a fissure in the earths crust that spilled lava, when it came into contact with the sea water it solidified into rock and formed a natural barrier.
I don’t fish in the Sounds, but its not hard to catch a feed for tea up there.
It takes about 5/6 hrs to steam up to begin with. Next day, steam thru the pass , then cruise up into Mill Arm in Greville Harbour, have an explore then steam up the coast to overnight at Port Hardy, it may be possible to find accommodation there in the form of a home stay , ( or stay on the Tut. ) next day steam thru hells gate and back to the Sounds.
We have talked about this before and although it is a wonderful experience, the big spoiler of course can be the weather, because once you leave the sounds it is so exposed to the open sea and you don’t want to be out there in over 20 knots, so the logical thing to do is offer a 3 day alternative in the Sounds if it is too rough on the outside.
3 days exploring the Sounds, learning the Maori Oral Histories, guided walks on Island Bird sanctuaries, exploring Maori fortified Pa sites, old shore based whaling settlement, and the derelict whaling station as well as Captain Cooks shore base at Ship Cove is a great adventure and creates life long memories, but the d’Urille island expedition is at a whole another whole different level, because it is not just interesting , it is exhilarating , exciting, being in the big swells of the open sea, {the raw power of French Pass} there is a feeling of being at one with natures elements’ that we don’t experience in our every day lives, this is to experience the true Wairua of nature, its an experience that touches your soul.