Milford Sound

The drive to, and the exploration of, Milford Sound was as breathtaking as all the reviews said it was. It was rainy and cold again, but the beauty shined through! Every once in awhile we had to stop and try to capture it.

Check out this mossy forest!

It was pure magic! Waterfalls everywhere, mossy green, mist and low laying clouds...no wonder Lord of the Rings found the perfect Middle Earth in New Zealand!

We arrived at Milford Sound just in time for the Milford Nature Cruise. It was a two-hour ride out to the sea and back, stopping a few times along the way. I'll mostly let the pictures attempt to capture the scenery. Let me just point out that the rain stopped for our cruise! Miracles of miracles! But at times it was COLD and we didn't have adequate clothing. We used everything we could think of to stay warm!

Sleepy seals! (Can you see them?)

The boat approached this waterfall.

It got closer and closer. Geoff and the girls wanted to brave the cold mist.

Geoff stuck it out until the very end getting totally drenched!

New Zealand and its raw beauty and weather made us feel so alive! I love this picture of Geoff, who just braved the power of those falls! ALIVE!

I didn't get any pictures of the bottle-nosed dolphins who came to play! They jumped and showed off for a long while! They are bigger than the common dolphins we had seen up north, and stronger too. They really responded to our hoots and hollers. We had wanted to sleep that night on a ship out in the sound but decided it was too expensive. We saw the people who paid the high price for the experience. They were in a shallow 12-person raft exploring a little cove. When they heard our shouts and cheers for the dolphins, they came over. As we pulled away those dolphins kept up their show for those guests at arms-length away!

Unbelievable and unforgettable!

We still splurged on our sleeping that night. There is only one lodge in Milford Sound. It sits right on a river and is smack dab in pure beauty. The interior was nice and comfortable.

But that isn't really what you stay there for. Here is just outside our door in both directions.

I think we counted NINE waterfalls that were visible from our beds! That night the sky was as clear as could be. I wasn't feeling well and went to bed early, but Geoff, Adele and Ceci took some blankets out and stargazed for a long while. Adele saw at least seven shooting stars! This was our unintended stargazing moment, and we took it!

The next day we made our way back through mountains, grasslands, mossy forests and sheep fields. We stopped for a short hike (The Chasm) and it was amazing! First was the hike through an enchanted forest. I mentioned to Adele and Ceci that it would be a great place to build a fairy kingdom, to which Ceci responded, "This IS a fairy kingdom!"

The falls were so unique and powerful. The water has created huge tunnels and holes in the rock, leaving it smooth and masterfully shaped. In the spring the water is much higher due to snow melt, so this time of year we could see some of spring's water designs. (This photo is a poor representation. I really need a class and camera!)

We pulled over when we saw the a few mountain parrots (only in this area of New Zealand)! It was much larger than we expected - the size of a chicken!

We arrived in Queenstown that evening after a feast of eye-popping beauty. Wow.