Booked ourselves onto a nature cruise up Queen Charlotte Sound.  These are fluttering shearwaters and they really do flutter.

Lots of mussel and salmon fish farms in the sounds. There was a fur seal messing around here in search of a free meal.

Queen Charlotte track runs along the north shore of the sound for 68km.  Again you can catch ferries and do day walks or do the lot and stay in DoC huts or hotels.  Alternatively you could do a 2 hour detour and stay at this luxury 5* hotel in the Bay of Many Coves and get a helicopter or water taxi back to Picton. Know what I would do.

These spotted shags were just down from the hotel. The rocks and surrounded trees were all plastered white with poo.  Apparently they have to find new nesting sites every couple of years because they trash the sites so much.

Nesting spotted shag and junvenie in the water.

Some Australian gannets

We landed at Motuara Island where a short, steep (when are they not) walk to a lookout at the top of the island  Behind the boat, towards the mainland is Ship Cove, the significance of which will be revealed shortly.  The island is a nature reserve.  Lots of penguin boxes out and no qualms here about opening the boxes and looking inside.. 

The sounds were first explorer by Cook.  He visited them 5 times between 1770 and 1777.  Every time he came he anchored in Ship Cove to replenish his supplies, careen his ship and give his crew a bit of R&R. A cairn was built on this island to commemorate the raising of the British flag.

Looking out to the aptly named Long Island.  Ship Cove is actually 180 degrees in the opposite direction, between Motuara Island and the mainland but obscured by trees.

These are king shag, the rarest seabird or was it bird in the world.  This is the only place in the world you can see them.  Made a twitcher on board extremely happy.  Distinguishable from the other shags by the little strip of white feathers on the wings.