Milford Sound

We boarded the Milford Wanderer, a 61 passenger boat, for our overnight cruise in the Milford Sound (known as Piopiotahi in Maori). After a 30 minute safety talk we found our bunk beds and returned to the main cabin for a snack of soup and bread rolls before starting our outdoor activities. Amy and I opted for a speedboat outing with the guides telling us humorous narratives of early explorers and Maori expeditions. The Milford Sound was incorrectly named-it's actually a fiord. A fiord is formed by a glacier, while a sound is formed by a river. The name stuck and it's never been changed. Milford Sound is one of the wettest places in the world, receiving an average annual rainfall of 6 1/2 meters! Because it rains so much, there is a layer of fresh water sitting on top of the ocean. This tannin-stained freshwater filters out more sunlight than the salt water does, allowing species that usually live deep in the ocean to be found in relatively shallow water. Wow! I learned a lot from that little speedboat expedition!

After our speedboat learning session, the passengers assembled in the dining room for our scrumptious dinner of lamb shanks, veggies and mashed potatoes, with chocolate cake and self saucing pudding. Not sure what the "self-saucing" pudding was, but it was tasty. We ended up sitting with our bunkmates, a middle-aged English couple touring New Zealand on motorcycles, and a family from Australia. Initially, I thought our bunkmates were a decidedly unfriendly pair; however, I was soon able to see past the horrendous state of their teeth and find their English dry humour quite funny. We spent the evening with the Aussie family and some Japanese tourists, playing card games and comparing our holiday schedule.

Before actually seeing the Milford Sound, I imagined it would be scenic and picturesque, however, I wasn't prepared for how spectacular it really was. None of my pictures are able to capture how magnificent it all looked. Sheer rock cliffs rose out of the water, making the Milford Wanderer seem insignificant in comparison.