Sunday, 27 November 2022

South Island Saga continued: Doubtful Sound II

 

Our exploration of Doubtful Sound continues....

Jeanne is near the bow and admiring our progress.  





Our guide/naturalist is explaining what we're seeing.  








As we approached the Tasman Sea, they unfurled the sails.  




We're at the opening of Doubtful Sound to the Tasman Sea. Due west from here there is no land until you hit South America. Tasmania lies 1,541 km. away, just a bit north of west, and Melbourne, Australia, lies about 2,000 km. distant if you travel west, northwest.   





I think these rocks are called the Hare's Ears.   










There be seals!






A male fur seal can be eight feet long and from 200 to 330 lbs.  




We're heading back into the Sound. First sighting of the Moon.  




Twilight is upon us, and the Moon and Jupiter are well up. 
I'm amazed that we are here, in a fjord of the South Island of New Zealand, and seeing such sights.    



I was imagining, when I saw this, how cold it must be up there on the peaks. 





The two stars you see just to the right of the center of this picture, are the 'pointer stars' that point to The Southern Cross, which is now lying on it's side with it's top star lowest.  
Remember that the top star of the pointers, Alpha Centauri, is actually a binary star.*



It is full dark now.  Jeanne and I are on the deck just in front of the Bridge.  




I've turned my camera 180 degrees now and there she is, bundled up against the chill with snow-capped peaks behind her.  
It was magical out there.
The winds had died down somewhat, but is was still breezy.  We could smell the sea and hear the slapping of small waves along the sides of the ship.  
We had had a great meal earlier (a buffet with prawns, blue cod, chicken, ham, and lamb) and soon after this picture was taken, went in and topped off  our evening's activities with a mug of hot chocolate.  
We spent the night in a very sheltered corner of the Sound and felt no wave movement whatsoever. 

Tomorrow morning will look very different.  Be watching...     -djf


*I'm including a link to the post I did back in August of 2022, proving that Alpha Centauri is a binary.  






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4 comments:

  1. Dianne28 November 2022 at 13:42

    Such wonderful scenery! There's no doubt that your Doubtful Sound adventures were truly amazing. Those fur seals look so content on the rocks - did you see any in the water?

    Your skies were so clear - I can imagine that you were able to see the planets and stars so much more clearly than in Henderson! with the moon shining so brightly I can imagine how magical it was!

    Loved it!

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  2. Doug Foster28 November 2022 at 14:38

    We saw some dolphins in the water but my pictures weren't much. It was raining slightly then and I didn't want to take out my good camera.
    And you're right about the light-pollution in Henderson. The stars here are dimmer than they were above the Sound.

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  3. Anonymous4 December 2022 at 05:30

    What an amazing region! You both are so blessed to have experienced it. I loved the seals lounging in the sun. I also loved the picture of Jeanne with the backdrop of the mountains and night sky. Just lovely. McKenzie

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    Replies
    1. Doug Foster4 December 2022 at 10:10

      And, as it happens, I'll be publishing my next post in a few minutes...

      Delete

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