Milford Sound

After pushing off from the side of the Mariner, I tried to get situated in the little kayak. It's quite a difference being in a river kayak versus a sea kayak (even though we were on the sea!) - the smaller size makes it harder to balance, the lack of a rudder makes steering difficult, and a slight movement to one side makes your balance and steering completely off! As we paddled away from the the big ship we had sailed into Milford Sound on, I turned to look back to make sure Pete was coming along. I was struck. I stopped paddling altogether and just stared. The cliffs of Milford Sound that jut up over 1600m (5500ft) from the sea were absolutely breathtaking. I then looked at our ship, a rather large ship that sleeps 60 people, and it was utterly dwarfed by the mountains. And being on a kayak made me feel even smaller and completely enclosed by the mountains. Less than an hour before, we had sailed around the Sound (actually, misnamed by the British - Milford Sound is a fjord, not a sound). We had been in awe of the steep cliffs and seemingly endless waterfalls, and snapped many, many pictures. But nothing could compare to the perspective that we got while kayaking. Only then could we understand the scale of the mountains and just how quickly they rise out of the sea.

Unfortunately we had been advised to not take our cameras out kayaking with us. We not only missed a picture of our ship completely overshadowed by the mountains, but we missed the Fiordland Crested Penguin we were lucky enough to see! The little guy was "oiling his feathers" (as the guide told us) on a rock in the cove after getting out of the water. It was my first time seeing a penguin in the wild - they are gorgeous birds.

The kayak was part of the overnight sail in Milford Sound. We departed at 4:30pm (when all of the tour groups are coming in) and sailed around the fjord. We snapped pictures of the cliffs, high peaks, and stellar waterfalls. The skipper even put the bow of our ship into a waterfall! After the sail, we anchored in a sheltered cove, where we went kayaking. We worked up quite the appetite from kayaking and enjoyed a nice dinner aboard the ship. The next morning we woke up in the fjord with amazing light on the peaks of the mountains and sailed out to the Tasman Sea. By 9:30am, we were back where we started, and reluctantly disembarked from the ship, not wanting our trip to end.

Aside from the amazing views, there was another highlight of our trip. At dinner, there was assigned seating, which felt a little too "tour group-ish" for us, but we were pleasantly surprised with the outcome. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner conversation with an older kiwi couple who has traveled not only to East Africa (we shared safari stories), but also to India, Bhutan, and a host of other places. We got many recommendations for India not only from their travels, but also because the wife, Barb, is a professor of Asian Religion, specializing in Indian History. She has since emailed us the reading list for a course she teaches at the University of Otago. The husband, Trevor, studies glaciers and snowpack, and has traveled to Antarctica over 14 times and regularly flies all over New Zealand taking photos of glaciers for a government contract. (Sounds like such a cool job!) Barb and Trevor were an inspiration to both Pete and I. They literally lit up when they spoke of their travels and their adventures. They have lived life to the fullest - and are still going! They love being outside and marvel at the beauty of nature. They might have to go a little slower and might not be able to climb the highest peaks anymore, but they enjoy it just the same, if not even more.

-- carrie

About to board.  This will be an upgrade from sleeping in the van! 

Carrie getting wet from the waterfall and enjoying the rainbow.  The skipper put the bow right under it.

Looking back into the Fjord from its mouth at the Tasman Sea in the morning.  The fishing ship heading back to port looks tiny!

Looking back out the Fjord as we near the harbor.  The outlet to the sea is to the right of the big peak at the leftmost part of the photo, but hard to see in this lighting.