Waterfalls Galore at Milford Sound, New Zealand

New Zealand – The Road to Milford Sound

Part 1 – here

Part 2 – here

Part 3 – Milford Sound

And finally the Milford Sound journey is here.

Waterfalls, waterfalls, waterfalls!

 

Soft cascading waterfall - Milford Sound

 

 

 

High above, from the mountain tops, I thee flow

 

 

 

Seals sunbathing

 

 

Boat cruise in Milford Sound

 

 

 

Water, water everywhere. Whoosp!

 

 

The sound of thunderous water echoed and water sprays everywhere.

 

 

A more central view of waterfall in Milford Sound

 

Milford Sound is located in Fiordland National Park – established in 1952. The other fiord in the park is Doubtful Sound. Te Anau serves as a gateway to the park while buses from Queenstown stop here to pick up the people from Te Anau going on the boat cruise.

Milford Sound is a world heritage area renowned for its natural habitat and beautiful scenery – a “must see” if you are in South Island, New Zealand. There is more to do here than just a boat cruise. There is kayaking and hiking adventures here. For more information on Fiordland National Park, visit the Department of Conservation. I have posted links in an earlier post, Part 2 – Milford Sound here.

In fact, three of the “Seven Great Walks in New Zealand” journey to the Fiordland National Park. More information on the “Seven Great Walks in New Zealand” here.

A piece of advice – the volume of waterfalls in Milford Sound depends on the season. While I was there in spring time, it was practically waterfalls galore. When I returned in winter two years later, there weren’t as much waterfalls. Spring is from September to November while winter is from June to August. Late skiing is still possible in early October. So you can still go hiking one day and the next day go to the mountains to ski. Best of both worlds.

The air of excitement literally hang in the air when the boat left the harbour. A few minutes later – the first view of a waterfall made the crowd gasped and scrambled for a good spot. More and more waterfalls were seen later as the boat meandered deeper into the fiord. Someone shouted “seals!” and cameras clicked non-stop. A quick splash in the water and someone else shouted “dolphins!”. Alas it was not meant to be – no dolphins were sighted.

Be prepared for rain or snow at any time of the year. They say when it rains in Milford Sound, spectacular sights are to behold.

Usually, the boat cruise leave the harbor around noon time. Noon isn’t the best time for photography. There are lots of tourists on the boats around this time. If you prefer lesser company, you may wish to stay at Te Anau instead of Queenstown and connects to the morning or evening cruise instead. In the afternoon cruise, there were at least four boats that I noted – quite a crowd in my opinion.

On the next post, I’ll explain a photography trick I discovered when shooting the waterfall scenery. These aren’t the best pictures.

Cheers!