Milford Sound was the destination for Day 7 of our New Zealand Wanderings. Part of the day was always going to include a boat cruise. The cruise was one of the many offered by Real Journeys.
New Zealand Wanderings Day 7 – Milford Sound
My expectations of travelling there were that I would find some absolutely stunning scenery. I wasn’t disappointed. It really is a stunning part of the world and if you go to New Zealand you really should try to see it.
However, you can’t just go there. While at the bottom is gorgeous, and I took quite a few long exposures, you are only seeing a small part. Taking a boat cruise is the best way to see it for yourself.
We did a two hour cruise with Real Journeys. In the photo above you can see the boat we went out on as it was coming back in. It was a big one and it is the one that you can do the overnight cruises on. That could be fun. We decided to do just the two hour cruise.
The boat
There was plenty of room available to see everything you wanted to see. It wasn’t so overcrowded that you were stuck just on one side of it. Though we tended to stick to the left, which is where all the action seemed to be happening.
We stayed up on the top deck to make sure we didn’t miss anything, but there were many places you could take photos. There were a lot of ropes to get around, but they weren’t too bad. I tried to incorporate them into my photos in some cases.
People
I know I’ve complained about people in the past, but today was brilliant. We met a lovely couple from New York, Eric and Gail. We chatted with them quite a bit.
Everyone on board was good and no one really annoying. It has been one of the best experiences so far with doing something that was touristy.
It is great seeing how many people are taking photos. Then what cameras they use. Many use their phones, while there was a combination of other cameras as well. There were also some that came purely to sit and watch the views as we went past.
The Sound
The whole place is quite extraordinary. The sheer cliffs that we went past were incredible. It must have been raining a bit as well as there were waterfalls everywhere. Apparently, so our guide was telling us, there are only three permanent ones. The rest were from recent bad weather.
Glacier Waterfall
One that was flowing incredibly fast was the Glacier one. The water coming from the glacier. It was a little scary to see how much water was running off from it. People look at them and don’t think they are melting fast, but a great deal of water comes from underneath them. We have heard many times, since being here, how much the glaciers have receded in recent years.
That is the bottom of the waterfall. The patterns that were being created in the water were amazing. There will be another photo in the gallery so you can see it.
Fairy Falls
I think that is what it was called. They were pretty cool too. Much smaller, but you could see rainbows in them, which was fun.
Overall
The boat cruise by Real Journeys was a great one to do. We really really enjoyed our day. I would highly recommend them for your tour experience when you travel to New Zealand.
Gallery
I took over 500 photos, but here are 26. I tried to narrow it down. When I get home I might work on some more. I hope you enjoy seeing the cruise through my cameras, the Fujifilm X-T3 of course.
Beautiful, Leanne! I am a little behind on my reading. You have peaked my interest, so I will go back to the rest of your New Zealand posts.
Thank you Tim. That is okay, I know how life can get in the way.
You are welcome. Yes, work and life definitely keep things interesting for us.
That’s nice to hear Tim, thank you.
The photographs are absolutely beautiful. The waterfall photo is especially dramatic. What is happening to the glaciers – to the planet generally – is really terrifying.
Thank you Laura, I agree with you about the waterfall and glaciers. It really is terrifying.
What a beautiful place. Definitely one for my bucket list.
It is Mama, and yes definitely one for the bucket list.
Very nice Leanne. Looks like an absolutely georgeous area. Want to see it. Glad you’re having a fun time. Loving the Fujifilm camera? yep i’d love to have their medium format GFX-r
Thank you Jack, it is very gorgeous, and the drive there is good too. You definitely see if you can. Yeah, I am loving the camera. Not sure about the medium format now. Too pricey for me.
Beautiful photos. We went through the Sounds on a Cruise Sip in March, and it was freezing cold, raining on and off, with very low clouds. It started clearing, as we sailed out of the Dusky Sound. It was, eerie, and so beautiful. Love seeing your shots, with the blue sky. Thanks for sharing them. It truly is an awesome place.
Wow going there on a cruise ship would be incredible. Shame about the weather though. I was very lucky, though there were lots of clouds when we go there. Glad you liked mine Maureen, thank you.
Stunning! We hope to sail there one day and explore the fjords. Your images reinforce the dream!
If you can sail there it would be amazing. Such a great place. We are off to Doubtful Sound tomorrow, which is further south, can’t wait to see it. Thank you Chris.