Kaikiekie / Bradshaw Sound is one of the larger New Zealand fiords. It is one of the sub fiords/arms that make up the

Doubtful Sound Doubtful Sound / Patea is a fiord in Fiordland, in the far south west of New Zealand. It is located in the same region as the smaller but more famous and accessible Milford Sound / Piopiotahi. It took second place after Milford Sound as New Zea ...

/ Thompson Sound complex and forms the northernmost of the blind or dead end fiords in this system.

History

It was named by Captain Stokes of HMS ''Acheron'', who gifted the name to R. Bradshaw, his first mate. The

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

call the fiord Kaikiekie, which translates as “to eat kiekie”, the kiekie being a native climbing plant. In October 2019, the name of the fiord was officially altered to Kaikiekie / Bradshaw Sound.

Geography

At the upper reaches of the sound, it sub divides into two smaller arms. To the north is the short Precipice Cove, and to the south the longer Kutu Parera (Gaer Arm). The northern inlet Precipice Cove is guarded at its southern entrance by Macdonell Island. It offers sheltered anchorage from the prevailing westerly and as such Several small tour companies ( such a
Fiordland Expeditions
and

Real Journeys RealNZ is a New Zealand tourism company based in Queenstown. The company offers a range of travel, cruises and excursions in Queenstown, Milford Sound / Piopiotahi, Te Anau, Fiordland and Stewart Island / Rakiura. It also operates two skifie ...

) use this as a good overnight location to moor. The

Misty River The Misty River is a river in Fiordland, New Zealand. It rises to the east of Irene Pass and flows westward into Teardrop Lake and on to Kaikiekie / Bradshaw Sound Kaikiekie / Bradshaw Sound is one of the larger New Zealand fiords. It is ...

flows into the cove. The southern Kutu Parera (Gaer Arm) is a marine reserve and the rules to protect the environment are tougher here than the rest of Bradshaw Sound. The

Camelot River The Camelot River is a river of Fiordland National Park, New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island () ...

flows into this southern arm. Like the rest of the fiord system, these areas are a haven for wildlife such as bottlenose dolphins, penguins and the rare black coral and both of the arms at Bradshaw's terminus offer great opportunities to explore the water by kayak or the chance to dive in locations such as the shallow dive site Garden Jules. Access by land is limited and this area is best explored using boats out of Deep Cove.

References

{{Fiordland Fiords of New Zealand Sounds of Fiordland