Motuara Island

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 pigeon, who did not seem at all concerned by our presence, we carried on stopping for photos of South Island robins and listening to the harmonic sounds of the bellbird, before reaching the top. Here you will find an obelisk commemorating it as the site that Captain Cook claimed sovereignty over the South Island on one of his many trips to his favourite resting spot, nearby Ship Cove.

There has been a wooden tower erected at top of the island so visitors can climb above the tree canopy for a better view of the birdlife as well as 360 degree views of the Queen Charlotte Sound, the entrance to Cook Strait, and on a clear day all the way up the Kapiti Coast. The view is definitely worth the walk to reach it. On the return visit our Australian companions were hoping to see a Saddleback and sure enough Ray knew what he was looking for and their call. Although we didn’t get a close up view like we had with the other species we did see one in the distance with their unmistakeable flash of bright orange.

Two hours after being dropped at the island the boat returned for us. After dropping off Ray and his guests at Ship Cove to begin their four day hiking adventure, we cruised back through the bays and inlets of the Sounds to Picton. We had a camera full of photos and were feeling rather relaxed after our morning immersed in nature – the early morning was definitely worth it.