When I first started researching New Zealand’s South Island, one of the top areas of interest I kept reading about was Milford Sound. As I mentioned earlier, it is not actually a sound but a fjord. The difference is that a sound is a natural occurring body of water connected to the sea. A fjord was once isolated from the sea, but glacial retreat eroded the barrier and allowed the sea to flood the region. Based on the reviews I read, I decided to book an overnight cruise that gave a unique perspective of the area. The cruise was the destination, but the drive into and out of Milford was the surprise. It takes about two hours to drive from Te Anau, and the entire trip is breathtaking. You slowly work from high alpine meadows to extremely narrow and spectacular gorges lined with peaks as high as 8,000 feet. The construction of the road is also impressive, knowing that it was done before most newer advances in machinery and GPS location were invented. There is even a tunnel (Homer Tunnel) to reach the final valley. The tunnel was dug by hand, through solid granite and is about a kilometer long and has a considerable downhill pitch as you head towards Milford. Going downhill in a very dark tunnel on a slippery road in a campervan got my sphincter meter pegging!! Once we reached the ship terminal, we checked in and waited for our trip to begin. The nice thing about the overnight cruise is that all the day trippers leave by 4:00 PM and so the entire area is void of boat traffic except the two overnight cruise ships.
We got lucky when they upgraded us to the more luxurious boat (We got two separate suites instead of all sharing one bunk room). The boats only hold about 60 people and the service/attitude of the entire crew is unmatched. Even though it was a bit windy on the sail out, the sky cleared which gave amazing views of the landscape. This area has more waterfalls then I have ever seen (even more then the Napali coast in Kauai). One of the more impressive falls is the Sterling Falls, which is three times taller than Niagara Falls, but not as much water. It comes out of a hanging valley with the glacier in the background. Because this is a fjord, the walls of the valley are extremely steep, some over vertical, and the slope stays the same below the water. You could be looking straight up a granite face over 3,000 feet tall, the boat is less then ten feet from the wall and the water is over 1,000 feet deep at this spot!! This allowed the captain to literally put the nose of the ship into some of the waterfalls and drench whoever stayed at the bow. Yes, Charlie and I did it. Check out some more pics on "Planes, trains..."
After cruising around the entire perimeter of the sound, we moored in a protected cove for the night. They then launched the boat tenders and kayaks for more exploring and nature watching. We went on the tenders because you got to go out farther out and look for fur seals. We found several small groups and really enjoyed the all the information the nature guide shared with us. Once back on board, Happy Hour commenced until dinner time. The crew said anyone who wanted to go swimming could go for a dip off the rear of the boat. In retrospect, I think they were just kidding… I was the only one to take the challenge and dove in the 10 degree water (Celsius) before I did the conversion or remembered that I was only 1,500 miles from Antarctica. Can you say “Shrinkage”?? After finding a way to breathe with my “kibbles and bits” in my throat, I swam around for a few minutes hoping Charlie would join me, but he is smarter than I thought and stayed on deck with the rest of the crew just smiling at the shivering fool in the water. Where was my Sarah Wrap (wetsuit) when I needed it??
Dinner was fantastic, and all was prepared on board. It does not get dark this far south until 10:30 PM so you have a very long sunset which gave amazing views all through dinner. The Captain even put the boat in gear and turned the helm all the way to one side so the boat did slow circles around the mooring buoy giving everyone views of the entire Sound. Talk about a revolving restaurant. This was typical of the type of unique service that is thought of down here. The next morning, the wind was calm, and we sailed out to the Tasman Sea, yet another spectacular sight. The drive out of Milford was just as awe- inspiring as the drive in because you get totally different views. For anyone that is thinking about making a trip to New Zealand, a Milford Sound cruise should be on your “things to do” list.
We got lucky when they upgraded us to the more luxurious boat (We got two separate suites instead of all sharing one bunk room). The boats only hold about 60 people and the service/attitude of the entire crew is unmatched. Even though it was a bit windy on the sail out, the sky cleared which gave amazing views of the landscape. This area has more waterfalls then I have ever seen (even more then the Napali coast in Kauai). One of the more impressive falls is the Sterling Falls, which is three times taller than Niagara Falls, but not as much water. It comes out of a hanging valley with the glacier in the background. Because this is a fjord, the walls of the valley are extremely steep, some over vertical, and the slope stays the same below the water. You could be looking straight up a granite face over 3,000 feet tall, the boat is less then ten feet from the wall and the water is over 1,000 feet deep at this spot!! This allowed the captain to literally put the nose of the ship into some of the waterfalls and drench whoever stayed at the bow. Yes, Charlie and I did it. Check out some more pics on "Planes, trains..."
After cruising around the entire perimeter of the sound, we moored in a protected cove for the night. They then launched the boat tenders and kayaks for more exploring and nature watching. We went on the tenders because you got to go out farther out and look for fur seals. We found several small groups and really enjoyed the all the information the nature guide shared with us. Once back on board, Happy Hour commenced until dinner time. The crew said anyone who wanted to go swimming could go for a dip off the rear of the boat. In retrospect, I think they were just kidding… I was the only one to take the challenge and dove in the 10 degree water (Celsius) before I did the conversion or remembered that I was only 1,500 miles from Antarctica. Can you say “Shrinkage”?? After finding a way to breathe with my “kibbles and bits” in my throat, I swam around for a few minutes hoping Charlie would join me, but he is smarter than I thought and stayed on deck with the rest of the crew just smiling at the shivering fool in the water. Where was my Sarah Wrap (wetsuit) when I needed it??
Dinner was fantastic, and all was prepared on board. It does not get dark this far south until 10:30 PM so you have a very long sunset which gave amazing views all through dinner. The Captain even put the boat in gear and turned the helm all the way to one side so the boat did slow circles around the mooring buoy giving everyone views of the entire Sound. Talk about a revolving restaurant. This was typical of the type of unique service that is thought of down here. The next morning, the wind was calm, and we sailed out to the Tasman Sea, yet another spectacular sight. The drive out of Milford was just as awe- inspiring as the drive in because you get totally different views. For anyone that is thinking about making a trip to New Zealand, a Milford Sound cruise should be on your “things to do” list.
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