There are both morning and afternoon cruises available depending on which company you travel with. I chose to go on a morning cruise, well less chose and more was told to because apparently the likelihood of seeing birdlife is higher in the morning. So it is at 8am that we board the Cougar Line for our hour long cruise to the island. My friend and I are dropped off at the island along with our guide Ray from Marlborough Sounds Adventure Company and the two Australian hikers that he would be taking onto the four day Queen Charlotte Track. Although a guide is not required on the island this option does provide a greater understanding of how the island came to be and the different species that inhabit it. Our first stop was the water hole which is usually popular with the birds. However, on our visit there wasn’t much action which Ray tells us is because the rain in the morning meant that the birds could get their water from all over the island. We continued up the well maintained track until we were stopped by a native wood pigeon sitting right in our path. After a few photos of the ...