What Do You Think……..
………about this photo?
It’s a bit eerie with the fog outlining the edges of the mountain. Don’t you agree? The green in the foreground makes me think about a bright green forest that is bright with fresh rain. The dock in the background makes me think about taking a pleasure boat out on a leisurely afternoon. It’s interesting how one photo can evoke so many different thoughts and feelings.
These are the impressions I had of my tour of Milford Sound a few weeks ago as we visited our last destination in New Zealand. Add to that the absolute splendor of the surrounds of Queenstown and our last accommodation that overlooked Lake Wakapitu and you have the perfect ending to a perfect journey through New Zealand.
I think my traveling companions and I agree that Queenstown was the most beautiful place we had been on our tour of New Zealand. It was absolutely stunning. Even the drive to get there was spectacular.
The closer we got, the more captivated we were with the mountain ranges surrounding the waterways and the stillness of the water that gave a perfect mirror reflection of everything that bordered the water.
You could look in any direction and find a scene that was mind-blowing.
From one of 3 balconies in our apartment in Queenstown that sat on the edge of the lake, we could view the Remarkables Mountain Range.
In about 20 minutes, we could walk into the center of town where we found the typical small shops, restaurants cafes and generally laid back feel of a small lakeside resort town.
It was delightful.
As much as we liked Queenstown, though, we liked our visit to Milford Sound, the “fjordland” of New Zealand even better. There is speculation from the experts on whether Milford Sound is actually a “fjord” or a “sound”. By definition, the “fjord” has a narrower waterway than a “sound” and is outlined by high, craggy rock walls spouting waterfalls of all sizes.
Based on the book definition and my experience with the “fjords” of Norway, I deem this a “fjord”. But, who really cares? Regardless of what it’s called, Milford Sound is by anyone’s standards, a “must see” marvel when visiting south New Zealand.
The best way to experience this wonder is to travel through by boat. So, that’s what we did. As it turns out, in addition to renting cars, Jucy, our car rental company also has a couple of boats doing tours at Milford Sound. We had a good experience with Jucy so far, so why not give this part of their service a chance, too.
It was a fun afternoon…….beautiful……and, wet………
The captain of the boat we were traveling on reported that this is one of the wettest places on earth. He wasn’t kidding. The average rainfall is 264 inches per year and rainfalls of nearly 10 inches in 1 day are not uncommon. Not only did it rain for the duration of our ride, the captain of the boat took us right under a few of the waterfalls so that the spray from the falls could splash some of its water droplets on us.
In actuality, it was like taking a cold shower. By the end of the ride, we were all drenched. We came prepared, though, with our warm jackets, raincoats and ponchos.
We were a sight to behold, which made us all laugh. I am still laughing about our stylish attire. But, we were warm and dry…..relatively……
Despite the rain and the fog, we all went away with a vivid image imprinted in our minds of Milford Sound, our last place of adventure in New Zealand! What a perfect way to end our time there.
One day, when I am old and gray and no longer able to travel, I will call up the picture of Milford Sound that is stored in the depths of my mind. The picture will evoke many different thoughts and feelings.
And, it will make me smile.
Travel With Betsy 
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