Hinenui / Nancy Sound facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hinenui / Nancy Sound |
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 Hinenui / Nancy Sound
Location in New Zealand
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| Location | Tasman Sea |
| Coordinates | 45°08′23″S 167°04′05″E / 45.13972°S 167.06806°E |
| Native name | Hinenui Error {{native name checker}}: parameter value is malformed (help) |
| River sources | Multiple unnamed rivers |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Max. length | 15.4 kilometres (9.6 mi) |
| Max. width | 0.9 kilometres (0.56 mi) |
| Surface area | 13.9 square kilometres (5.4 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 279 metres (915 ft) |
Hinenui / Nancy Sound is a beautiful fiord located on the South Island of New Zealand. It's one of the many stunning fiords that make up the coastline of a region called Fiordland. Imagine a long, narrow inlet of the sea, with steep cliffs on either side – that's a fiord!
Contents
Exploring the Geography of Hinenui / Nancy Sound
Hinenui / Nancy Sound sits between two other fiords: Taiporoporo / Charles Sound and Te Awa-o-Tū / Thompson Sound. It's also part of the larger Doubtful Sound area. This fiord stretches out for about 15.4 kilometers (that's almost 10 miles!). For most of its length, it runs straight towards the northwest.
Unique Shapes and Features
The fiord has a couple of interesting bends. Near its entrance, it turns slightly to the west. Then, closer to its end, it makes a sharp, almost right-angle turn. This special section is called 'Foot Arm'. It got this name because it looks a bit like a human foot! Inside Foot Arm, you'll find 'Heel Cove' and 'Toe Cove', named for their positions.
Islands and Depths of the Sound
At the entrance of Hinenui / Nancy Sound, there are two small islands. One is called Entrance Island, and it's to the north. The other is Anxiety Island, located to the south. The water between these two islands is quite shallow, only about 77 meters (253 feet) deep. But once you go further into the fiord, the water gets much deeper! The deepest part is called the Acheron basin, reaching an amazing 279 meters (915 feet) deep. This basin was named after the ship HMS Acheron, which explored the area way back in 1851.
Towering Mountains and Hidden Lakes
Just like most fiords in Fiordland, Hinenui / Nancy Sound is surrounded by very steep mountains. On the southwest side, there's a ridge called Master Ridge, running alongside the fiord. In the middle of this ridge stands Mount Napier, which is 1195 meters (3,921 feet) tall. On the northeast side, you'll find Command Peak, roughly across from Mount Napier. There's even a small mountain lake, called a tarn, whose water flows into the fiord at the end of Foot Arm.
The Fascinating Name of the Fiord
The names of places in Fiordland often have interesting stories. For Hinenui / Nancy Sound, the exact origin of its European name, Nancy Sound, isn't perfectly clear. This is because many early European explorers were sealers and whalers who didn't always record everything.
How "Nancy Sound" Got Its Name
The most likely story is that the fiord was named after a ship called the Nancy. This ship was commanded by John Grono, who was one of the first Europeans to explore this area before 1823. So, the fiord might have been named in honor of his ship.
Adding the Māori Name: Hinenui
In October 2019, the fiord's name was officially changed to include its Māori name: Hinenui. This name means 'big woman'. So now, the full official name is Hinenui / Nancy Sound. This change was part of a bigger plan to give dual names (both Māori and English) to all the fiords in Fiordland. Before this, only Milford Sound / Piopiotahi and Doubtful Sound / Patea had dual names.
The reason for adding these dual names is to celebrate the importance of both cultures and their stories. It helps us understand the rich history of the area from both Māori and English perspectives. For example, Foot Arm also has an unofficial Māori name, Tā-te-kākāpō, which reminds us that kakapo (a type of parrot) used to be common in that area.
