We awoke to 30-knot winds funneling through our fiord anchorage, aptly named Preservation Sound. The forecast was “grim” with 35-45 knot winds predicted. Reluctantly we decided that we needed to make a run for Bluff, our ultimate point of debarkation.

We found a few protected spots along the way to set our lines briefly, and got one promising bite, but as the storm clouds gathered and wind picked up, we conceded defeat and pointed towards shelter.

The wind was high first thing in the morning, so we headed south and fished in the lee of Five-finger Island.

Clouds were gathering as we headed through the protected fiord towards open water.

After a three-hour van ride up into the Fiordland foothills, an hour ferry across Lake Manapouri, and a one-hour bus ride over Wilmot pass, our point of departure, Doubtful sound, finally came into