Scenery and sounds of Fiordland

Thursday, January 05, 2023
Milford Sound / Piopiotahi, Southland, New Zealand
Today was another day without getting off the ship but at least we had some beautiful scenery to see, instead of just….sea!
As we awoke, we found ourselves at Milford Sound. 
Visitors travel from all over the world to witness the staggering beauty of Milford Sound. This mighty South Island fiord was formed by ancient glacial movement and is one of New Zealand’s most treasured natural landmarks. A visit to Milford Sound is a journey into a spectacular landscape, one that will take your breath away regardless of whether the sun is shining or the rain is falling.
With an average yearly rainfall of 7000mm (7 metres) , Milford Sound is one of the wettest inhabited places on earth and one of the best places to experience the power of nature. Exceptional rainfall produces Milford’s famous waterfalls as well as its unique underwater ecosystem where sea and fresh water meet.
Milford Sound is located within Fiordland National Park, an area that has held UNESCO World Heritage status since 1986. The pristine environment provides a perfect habitat for birdlife and a safe haven for dolphins, fur seals and endangered penguins.
It was raining for our visit (very common apparently) and this ensured plenty of waterfall activity. The scenery was breathtaking and we decided to utilize our balcony cabin to just enjoy the spectacular scenery and ordered room service breakfast (normally something Tim never wants to do). There were waterfalls everywhere.
After sailing through Milford, it was not too long before we entered Doubtful Sound which is a very large fjord situated on the south-western corner of New Zealand’s South Island. Best known for its wilderness and wildlife, Doubtful Sound is the second largest of the 14 fjords in Fiordland National Park and it is 3 times longer and 10 times larger than the more famous and accessible Milford Sound. According to some websites, Doubtful Sound is the second most famous tourist attraction in New Zealand (after Milford Sound).
Tim and I headed to lunch at the speciality steak restaurant which was sensational. We had sensational views from the windows. After this, the ship entered Dusky Sound. One of Fiordland's largest and most remote fiords, 40km-long Dusky Sound is dotted with more than 350 small islands. The scenery was breathtaking all day, but the scenery was much clearer for Dusky Sound as the rain had ceased and fog had disappeared.
All 3 of these most famous fjords were spectacular, and we were lucky to experience all kinds of weather during the day to showcase the scenery in various presentations.
Tim and Bec then caught up with Kerry (Bec’s old friend from Dubbo) and her partner. It was lovely to catch up!
We followed this by a couple of rounds of trivia with the family. We won both with extra points scored for singing and dancing!
Finally for the day, we had dinner at the Italian specialty restaurant and it was so good!
This concludes our 3rd day at sea. The scenery was breathtaking today however we are all very, very thrilled to be getting off the ship tomorrow!

Comments

Joan Therese Olsen
2023-01-07

The photos are great,looks like you're having a wonderful time.

Georgia
2023-01-07

Looks amazing!

2025-02-10

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