Preservation Inlet weblog Travel Story

Preservation & Chalky Inlets

Posted by Lynn Clayton in Queenstown and Southern Travel Stories
Thursday, 23 March 2006

I normally live a typical Auckland city life... flat whites at my local cafe; art house movies; wines with the girls; cleaning ladies; European cars and a life slightly removed from the one I was about to embark on!

It was a privilege to be invited to spend a week on a 50’ fishing boat amongst the magical Preservation & Chalky Inlets in the deep South, and I flew out of Auckland excited about the adventure ahead.

The inlets hide many secrets of days gone by and this remote area must be the nearest thing to seeing New Zealand as it was 1000 years ago.

However, my heart sank when I stepped aboard and saw the galley... clean was nowhere to be found! 

We had to wash every cup and cutlery item before we dared use them.  Everything we touched was greasy - largely due to our skipper's penchant for spreading marmite all around the doors to deter sand flies! And the toilet... well, let's say it was better with one's eyes closed.

A hose with a rose for the shower, basic communal bunk accommodation, and a two-burner stove and small oven which challenged our catering skills with 10 on board.

I must say this is not normally the territory of middle aged women and the skipper looked quite aghast when he initially met us - six men and three women all on the exciting side of 50 - after we arrived from all corners of the country for this adventure.

The trip departed from Riverton on the high tide and took eight hours from headland to headland resulting in our arrival nearer midnight than daylight. We woke to find ourselves moored next to an old Fiordland ferry in the beautiful and protected Weka Bay in Preservation Inlet.

Our skipper had lived in the area for 20 years and knew every submerged rock, every walking track, and his daily history lessons were amusing and educational. This is not an area to venture into without excellent charts and even then a lot of the coastline is uncharted. The vastness of this region blew me away… 'huge' does not describe the size of these inland waterways that cover thousands of hectares.

The bush meets the water’s edge at high tide and at low tide the colour spectrum changes dramatically as bright red spongy seaweed and lime-green growths catch the early morning light. Rock pools do not seem to harbour much in the way of life but I did spot the occasional starfish. Beneath the surface there must be wall to wall blue cod as every time we put our lines down we caught these ugly but wonderful-eating creatures. The scallops were the largest and most delicious I have ever eaten and the crayfish and paua also seemed to be abundant. The misconception of tough old paua fritters was dispelled as they were prepared by our knowledgeable and excellent on-board chef/skipper. It’s all in the cutting, he told us.

The fishing was prolific, including sharks every day. They are commonly called ‘spiny dogs’ as they have a sharp claw near their tail fin. I’m sure these make good eating too, but with so much blue cod we released the sharks to live another day. We often had cod twice a day; blue cod pan fried, blue cod Thai curried, blue cod Moroccan...

Within these isolated Sounds are many more inlets. One of these hides the beautiful Cascade Falls, another the area of Crommarty.  Kisbee Bay was once the bustling mining town pre-war but all that remains are the relics hidden in the undergrowth along with exquisite small mosses. Edwardian Sound, Isthmus, Long Sound, North and South... so many to explore.

Walking into bush areas we often came across fresh deer footprints but we did not see Bambi that week. On one occasion our young hunters did manage to bring back some venison that was primatively hung up on the bow to cure.  Not a place for vegetarians!

The Tarewera smelter ruins built from red brick are a welcoming colour contrast with so much green vegetation. These are based in the Isthmus Sound and here we spotted two kayaks paddling steadily. Where they came from or where they were going remains a mystery in this vast seascape, so far from modern civilisation. I was fascinated with all the kidney ferns in this area and the fact that there was more totara and beech whereas in other areas predominantly beech and rimu prevailed.

We had one wet, rainy and cold day. We managed to make smoko - scones and jam in the old stove. This brought a smile to the face of the skipper; maybe women on board were not so bad after all!

After lunch we set off to Chalky Inlet via the open ocean that on this occasion despite being bathed in sunshine was throwing up breaking 4m swells and consequently we had a roller coaster ride. It was exhilarating and scary all at once!

Giant Wandering Albatross and Mollymawks accompanied us across this stretch of wild water. What grace and good judgement as these majestic birds skimmed the breaking waves with precise manoeuvres.

The SS Stella in Northport Bay in Chalky Inlet provided a safe anchorage or mooring for the next few nights. We tied up alongside, giving us a secure berth.

The SS Stella is a very large and very rusty old shipwreck reminding us of all the brave men who discovered these remote ports many years ago. We clambered over it although the rust has made this a delicate and risky procedure.

We set off to target the groper that inhabit the deeper areas. After days of blue cod we were keen for success. We all cheered loudly as a ten pounder came aboard… another excellent eating fish.

In the Edwardian Sound the bush runs out to show rocky mountain tops with a skiff of last winter’s snow reminding us how inhospitable this region can be. Seal pups play on Chalky headlands protected from human invasion by big swells and crashing seas. Waterfalls tumble down steep gorges crashing into the calm waters of the Sounds.

There are caves to explore complete with remnants of Maori ovens and I believe some have rock drawings but we did not discover these. Bush walking through rough undergrowth can be challenging, but the peace and tranquillity makes it worthwhile. Within the protected waters of the Sounds birdsong was uncommon. The occasional Kaka and a few fantails were the most common calls we could identify, and there was no dawn chorus, which did surprise us.

Red evening skies, stunning moody rock formations, tranquillity, seabirds, Hector's dolphins, virgin bush an unspoiled New Zealand – if you ever get the opportunity to visit this area pack your bags and go. Don’t forget the thermals!

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