Marvelling at Milford Sound, New Zealand

Honestly forever wouldn’t be long enough at this amazing place. It has to be seen to be understood. It’s so vast and beautiful, photos don’t do it justice. 

Being in this place made me feel so small and insignificant. It made me feel engulfed by the natural world. It made my home life of corporate 9-5 feel so abstract and unimportant. That is the perspective that time away can have, it can help you reconnect with perspective and life itself.

Here’s a little of my adventure to Milford Sound

So we opted for the boat cruise which takes you through the Milford Sound and out to where it meets the Tasman Sea. This was a fabulous way to experience the vastness of this natural wonder, home to some of the most impressive waterfalls on earth!

Honestly everywhere you look is a perfect photo opportunity. The waterfalls have so much power to them. Gazing at them is mesmerising. I found myself looking and then feeling as though they were going in slow motion. This water makes its way from the tippy top of the mountains to cut its way into the Sound. It’s beautiful, it’s breathtaking.

Okay, fun fact the Milford Sound is actually a fiord. A fiord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. A sound is formed by the flooding of a river valley. However when John Grono discovered it back in 1823, there was no word available to describe it as a fiord. They never changed the name, instead they call the entire region Fiordland.

When it rains, the mountain faces are covered with hundreds of temporary waterfalls. The atmosphere is almost prehistoric.

So the cliffs you see in the pictures go straight down, with a maximum depth of nearly 300 meters! The top 10 meters or so is fresh water, then it’s salt water below. It’s home to varied marine life given the mix of salt and fresh water. We were treated to seals sun baking and little penguins huddled on the shore. If you look closely the penguins feature in the below photo!

If you think about New Zealand, the images that come to mind were probably taken at Milford Sound. It’s regarded as a wonder of the world.

This waterfall is called Stirling Falls, with a 155 meter drop, nestled in between two peaks it’s primed for a perfect photo.

It was an absolute highlight of my NZ experience to visit Milford Sound. Tourism operators play an important part in engaging people with the natural world. Our captain shared so many fun facts with us and pointed out the local wildlife and features. Get out there and see this amazing place!