Today we set sail in one of the most iconic spots in New Zealand - Fiordland National Park. Milford Sound, located in Fiordland National Park, was a 4-hour drive from Queenstown but we broke up the journey so that there would be less driving the morning of. The night before we had camped at Te Anu so there was only a 45 minute drive before our cruise. The journey to Milford Sound took us through windy mountain roads that were still shrouded with the morning fog. As we got closer, the mountain peaks started to pop up through the clouds and the sun cast a glowing light on them.
Milford Sound is not actually a sound but a fiord. A sound is a valley formed by a river carving out the landscape whereas a fiord is created through glaciers that melt and carve out the landscape. Fiords have a u-shape characteristic to the landscape as opposed to the v-shaped characteristic of a sound. Milford Sound was opened as a tourist attraction in 1952. The biggest hurdle to opening up Milford Sound was that there is exactly one road that leads to Milford Sound and it requires driving through a mountain. The construction of the tunnel started in 1929 but was not completed until many years later as it is built on a slant and the mountain is prone to avalanches. There is a steep road on either side of the mountains so closures in winter are frequent. Since it is a national park, the only people who live at Milford Sound are the people who work there.
Milford Sound was glorious and it was the perfect day today! Blue skies framed the tall peaks of the mountains with an occasional cloud or two. Milford Sound has some of the tallest cliffs from sea level in the world. The outward journey on the boat was very chilly as the wind nipped at my face but thankfully the sun came out to warm me up. Along the way we saw tons of waterfalls as the freshwater flowed off the mountains above. The fiord is made up primarily of water from the Tasman sea with a layer of freshwater. The biggest waterfall closest to the shore is used for electricity and powers all of the onshore facilities of Milford Sound.
We made our way out from the Fiord for a view of the Tasman sea. You could tell we had reached the sea as the turbulence had increased from the still waters of the fiord. Off to the side you could see some juvenile seals swimming in the water to avoid the pesky sand flies.
Towards the end of our cruise we docked at the Milford Sound Deep Water Emergence. The Deep Water Emergence was an underwater exhibition where you could view life 9 meters underwater. We descended down a spiral set of stairs to a circular room that was set up like an aquarium. From there you could see many fish feeding in their natural environment. The most prominent part of the exhibit was the black coral. Turns out the coral wasn’t actually black only the skeleton was. The coral is actually white; the European explorers got it wrong again. The exhibition was cool but definitely not completely natural as the shelves at one point had been built around the building.
We returned again to the boat for more breathtaking views of the fiords. It had warmed up significantly and we were able to really enjoy the breathtaking views of Milford Sound. Visiting Fiordland was definitely the highlight of my New Zealand trip!
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