The stunningly beautiful and quite remote
Dusky Sound is located in the south west of the
South Island. It is the longest of all of New Zealand’s fjords, being 44 km long and 8 km wide at its widest point. The sound has many beautiful island and inlets, the most famous islands are
Anchor, Long and Cooper islands. Captain Cook first came here in 1770 and found it a good base to travel on into the wide open waters of the Pacific. There are plenty of seals and dolphins swimming around in the sparkling waters, but in 1792 they were almost wiped out by sealers as the sound was an important location for sealing and whaling. The best way of seeing the fjord, with its many islands and inlets, is from a seaplane flight or during a leisurely cruise. Visitors can only access the sound via sea or plane, but hikers can follow the
Dusky Track that will take them along some amazing scenery, rewarding them with spectacular views of the sound.