Ginger Without Borders

As the tour bus pulled up to the wharf at Milford Sound, the driver (and our guide for the road trip) said, “It is always a good day in the Sound when you can see Mitre Peak.” We could – it is in the lower right in this picture and rises 5,551 feet above the Sound. It is also the most photographed peak in the Sound.

There was a light rain falling as we waited on the dock for the crew to finish washing off the boat from the morning cruise. The ash falling in the Sound from the fires burning in New South Wales caused the boat surfaces to become a litte too slippery, so the tour company wanted the decks clean before we boarded. Dawn ate the bag lunch provided but I only ate the “crisps” (potato chips) and the apple while we waited.

We could hear the pounding sound of a waterfall on the docks but the falls were hidden from view behind a rocky outcrop. But they quickly came into view as soon as the ship left the port area.

At almost 500 feet tall, Bowen Falls are the highest waterfalls in the Sound. They are also the sole source of fresh water and power for the station at Milford Sound. They are one of the only two falls in the Sound that are permanent (it’s water source is the 6 mile long Bowen River). If it does not rain in Milford Sound for three days (the other falls are all dependent on rain), it is considered a drought. Droughts seldom happen in Milford Sound because it rains here 250 days a year.

There had been lots of rain that week, so we were very fortunate to arrive on a light rain day. Once the boat got underway, the rain stopped completely. But hunting for waterfalls is the sport in Milford Sound. As we started down the south side of the Sound, you could see the other permanent, glacier fed waterfalls in the distance. They are the Stirling Falls, three times the height of Niagra Falls (and the waterfall that Hugh Jackman “jumped off” in the movie Wolverine). More on these falls to come.

But first we came to one of the semi-permanent waterfalls, the Fairy Falls. The shoreline was so deep (basically the steep cliff just continued under the waterline) that the captain nosed the bow right up aginst the rock under the falls. Several folks got under the falls.

As the captain continued along the shore (never more than 20 feet from the cliffs), we continued to pass numerous unnamed waterfalls as we made our way out to the entrance into the Tasman Sea.

For a few minutes as he took the ship across to the northern side of the Sound, you could feel and see the ocean swells. But as soon as the captain took the ship over the glacial morraine, the swells dissipaited into calm water. Then he spotted some fur seals warming on the rocks.

We were now headed for Stirling Falls.

It is a “thing to do” at Milford Sound to get a “glacial facial” from the glacier fed falls, so the captain backed the boat under the falls and everyone was encouraged to go up to the top deck for their facial. Lena, I left the camera in the cabin area and joined the fun. The spray from the multiple falls blows in all directions, so it is more than your face that gets soaked. Everyone was laughing as we got soaked together. Interestingly, I did not find the water particularly cold.

While we dried off as best we could (they did not provide towels), we got great shots of Mitre Peak.

But as we sped back into the port (two and a half hours in the Sound), the clouds and rain were moving back into Milford Sound. The bus driver hurried us to load up in the rain. We retraced our path back to Lake Te Anau, where there were still blue skies but lots of wind.

PS., Lena, your inheritance was well spent here. Both Mom and Dad are worn out but I will spend more of your inheritance on another Fiordland venison dinner while Mom goes to bed (I am safe another night).