Sight · Fiordland National Park
Remote island sanctuary of wild fiords and conservation history
Overview
Resolution Island (Tau Moana) is the big, brooding heart of Dusky and Breaksea Sounds—vast, mountainous, and utterly undeveloped. It’s the largest island in Fiordland and a place where the landscape still feels primeval: steep, forested ridges dropping to intricate waterways like Earshell Cove, The Basin, and the Five Fingers Peninsula.
This was New Zealand’s first island bird sanctuary (1891). Richard Henry shifted hundreds of vulnerable birds here in a bold early conservation experiment. Stoats eventually made it across by 1900, but the legacy stuck: today Resolution remains a flagship for pest control and species recovery, with trap networks maintained to keep incursions in check.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy it’s specialMap
Local know-how
Arrange access via a specialist boat charter or guided wilderness cruise.
Bring all food, water, and layers—there are no facilities on the island.
Clean boots and gear thoroughly to meet biosecurity expectations.
Expect highly changeable weather and plan flexibly around conditions.
Do not disturb traps or monitoring equipment used for predator control.
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Fiordland Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Fiordland National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Fiordland audio tour“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Think endless native bush, rugged coastlines, and big Fiordland moods. The surrounding Taumoana (Five Fingers Peninsula) Marine Reserve underscores how rich these waters are. Photos and traveler impressions focus on sweeping seascapes and the feeling of true remoteness.
Historically, birds like kākāpō and kiwi were transferred here; modern efforts continue to protect native fauna, and you may spot trapping infrastructure on the ground. Out on the water, visitors sometimes report marine life such as sea lions and dark-colored dolphins in the surrounding fiords. As always with wildlife, consider any sighting a bonus, not a guarantee.
Come clean: scrub boots and gear so you aren’t carrying seeds or pests. Don’t touch traps or monitoring gear. Treat the island as a sanctuary first and a destination second.
Wildlife
1,181 sightingsKeaMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
199 sightingsFiordland PenguinMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
228 sightingsBlue DuckMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
32 sightingsBottlenose DolphinMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
247 sightingsNew Zealand Fur SealMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
58 sightingsKākāMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Fiordland. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Parkwolf’s Fiordland ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
