On our third day in the Marlborough Sounds we were once again greeted with clear skies, however an approaching Southerly storm meant that the swells were starting to increase. With the weather still looking pretty good, we decided to head further north along Queen Charlotte Sound to explore some of the bays closer to the Cook Straight.
We had quickly learnt that the winds in the Marlborough Sounds made for quite challenging sailing conditions. As the wind was funneled through the hills and bays we would go from doldrums to thirty knot gusts in a matter of seconds. To add to the adventure, when the wind did blow, it was often from a different direction to that which it had been previously coming from. Eric was embarrassed to be sitting in doldrums with reefed sails, but a few seconds later he would be grinning happily as we heeled over and sped along, with the rest of the crew holding on tightly!
We passed by several beautiful bays and some of the outer islands that are predator-free nature reserves. Our plan was to get out to Meretoto or Ship Cove, the bay that Captain Cook used as an anchorage when he came to New Zealand.
We stopped for lunch in Ship Cove, and from our mooring we looked out towards the densely wooded hillside. With the tropical plants and turquoise water is was easy to see why Captain Cook must have thought this was a great base for his exploration of New Zealand.
Records show that in all, Captain Cook’s expeditions spend a total of 170 days anchored here between his first visit in January 1770 and when he left for his final departure in February 1777.
The dense tropical bush didn’t seem to have changed much since Cook first visited this area and with abundant supplies of wood, fresh water and fish it must have been a welcome place to stop.
Although Ship Cove is perhaps best known for Captain Cook’s visits, it had long been recognised as a safe harbour by the Māori. Tucked just off the Cook Straight, with the wind starting to pick up, we could appreciate why the bay had been recognised as a place of shelter.
Whilst Meretoto / Ship Cove was known for its shelter, with a Southerly storm in the forecast, and a gale warning, we decided to head back further into the sounds for the night. Our destination was the head of Endeavour Inlet.
Although the wind and waves were quite significant in the main channel, as we made our way further into Endeavour Inlet, we once again found ourselves in a sheltered bay. We moored just off of Furneaux Lodge one of the historic lodges in the area. Our boat is just visible in the photo above in the far distance past the dock.
After getting settled on our mooring, my mum and I decided to go ashore and walk a small section of the Queen Charlotte Track, the long distance hiking trail that passes through this bay. It was lovely to get off of the boat for a little while and see the area from a different perspective.