The two sea days out of Sydney were not as relaxing as we needed.  The sea days on this cruise are paced more go, go than slow, slow.  We had lectures, shows, and the cruise’s second block party where everyone went out into the hallway to meet neighbors, some of them newly on the ship in Sydney, while staff brought along drinks and nibbles.  We also played table games with friends in the Explorer’s lounge.  Our scenic cruising day in Fjordland’s National Park on the southwestern shore South Island of New Zealand was more relaxing that the “relaxing” sea days.

The area was charted by Captain James Cook, who named many of the fjords, islands and other features of the area, although the most famous, Milford Sound, was named by a Welch whaler after Milford Haven in Wales.  Cook may have been in a bad mood when he charted the names.  They included the Useless Islands, Doubtful Harbor, Dusky Sound, Wet Jacket Arm (It was raining when Cook was there, but then it is almost always raining in this park), The Trap (after a set of rocks) and Cape Foul Wind, all located in the area where we sailed. 

Milford Sound is where we started our tour of the National Park.  It has a settlement at the end of the fjord consisting of a tourist hotel and tourist infrastructure for boating, aircraft and kayaking.  It is reachable by a long and winding road, by plane or boat.  We arrived just at sunrise.  The tops of the mountains were lit by the rising sun but deep in the fjord it was still dark, making for striking contrasts of light and dark, day and night.  The morning mist added to the effect.

We cruised into and out of Milford Sound. We then went into Thompson Sound and out Doubtful Sound (named Doubtful Harbor by Cook). We then went into Breaksea Sound (A positive name by Cook. Breaking the sea waves was a good thing) out Dusky Sound. All of these “sounds” are glacially created fjords… high, steep mountains.

We had a beautiful day.  It rains more than 200 days a year in the park with rainfall ranging from 6.5 to 9 meters (253 to 350 inches) a year.  I think this ship is pulling a bubble of good weather along with it because our weather has been remarkable.  The last time we were here we entered Dusky sound in the rain (thus the name) and left the park in Milford Sound in the sun.  This time it was a bluebird day all the way.

This first tranche of pics is from Milford Sound early morning.

The second tranche from the place with the distinctive names, Breaksea, Doubtful, Dusky are here.