Te Hāpua / Sutherland Sound | |
Other Name: | Sutherland Sound |
Pushpin Map: | New Zealand Fiordland#New Zealand |
Pushpin Map Alt: | Location in New Zealand |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in New Zealand |
Location: | Tasman Sea |
Coords: | -44.73°N 167.57°W |
Countries: | New Zealand |
Sutherland Sound (officially Te Hāpua / Sutherland Sound) is a fiord of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the smallest of the fiords that make up the coast of Fiordland, and the only one with limited sea access (owing to a large sandbar at the entrance to its narrower section). It is the second most northerly of the fiords, 220NaN0 southwest of Milford Sound / Piopiotahi and 8km (05miles) northeast of Hāwea / Bligh Sound. The fiord is 10km (10miles) in length and the Light River and the Dark River flow into the eastern end. The fiord is composed of two main sections - a large bay opening into the sea, and a more traditional fiord as the inner section. These are separated by a narrow channel less than wide at its narrowest point.
The fiord was named Sutherland Sound after explorer Donald Sutherland who visited the fiord in 1883. In October 2019, the name of the fiord was officially changed to Te Hāpua / Sutherland Sound.[1] [2]