Day 12 - October 29, 2018 - Kiwis and Kangaroos

Day 12 – October 29, 2018 – New Zealand Fiordland

During the night the Majestic Princess cruised around the tip of New Zealand (with just a few noticeable waves this a.m.) and spent the day sailing in and out of the Fiordland National Park, one of the largest national parks in the world. It consists of 3.1 million acres, nearly 5 percent of the area of New Zealand and was declared a World Heritage Area in 1986. The park consists of fourteen fiords over about 120 miles of rugged coastline.  Today we duck in and out of three of them: 1) Going in at Dusky Sound and exiting Breaksea Sound; 2) Entering at Doubtful Sound, leaving via Thompson Sound; and 3) Entering and exiting via Milford Sound.

Fur Seal

While it seemed more difficult to get up this morning, we rolled out of bed to the gentle rocking of the ship and scrambled up to meet Mary Jo for a coffee and a croissant. Then we scurried up to the deck on the 17^th floor for a good view of the fiords. While it was a bit rainy at times and the wind could be biting, the views were beautiful as we travel through a rather narrow channel surrounded by tall, steep, green mountains on one side, similar large islands on the other and many other smaller islands. The evergreen rain forest clings to the steep hard rock which is covered only with a thin layer of rich, peaty humus and moss. Red, mountain and silver beech trees also populate the mountains; and shrubs, tree ferns, mosses and lichens cover the forest floor.  The climate is always changing and is often dramatic. The annual rainfall varies from 31 inches to 48 inches, raining over 200 days every year. We were fortunate to see a few fur seals sitting on a small rock island, hoping, I’m sure, that the sun would come out!  Dolphins and whales were also spotted at one point.

Two hours later we entered the second fiord. Now the weather is nicer with the sun trying to peak out. The mountains are also taller, as we can see snow on several of them, as well as a handful of waterfalls cascading down the steep slopes. While there are a few deer that were brought to these islands years ago, the fiords are home to a number of birds, ducks, grebes, brown kiwi, etc.  Unfortunately animals such as mice, rats, stoats, hares and possums were also introduced to the area, which has had a very detrimental effect on the native animals and plants.  New Zealand has implemented a number of programs to eradicate these pests, particularly the weasel-type stoats. Marine life is also plentiful, and I managed to capture a good picture of a couple dolphins. Overall, slowly crawling through the narrow waterway between these pristine mountains was simply beautiful and mesmerizing.

But they saved the best for last.  This afternoon we went in and out of Milford Sound … and THIS is the picture I had in my head of fiords and New Zealand. Once again the channel was so narrow it felt like we could reach over to touch the mountains.  The mountains were high peaks and very steep with a mixture of trees or and a few with snow on top and numerous gorgeous waterfalls spilling down to the emerald green water below. Every few feet we were awed with another peak or waterfall coming into view as we meandered to the turnaround point and back again.   We saw some seals … this time actually sunning themselves, as it has turned out to be a beautiful sunny day though the wind is cold. But that was okay since for this one we could enjoy all from our stateroom balconies and not miss anything!  Simply spectacular!

However, once we’re out beyond the shelter of the fiords, we turn west, for the thousand mile journey to Australia and the sea is rougher, and the captain has “warned” us of even higher swells during the night!  So, this time we hang on the banisters as we take the stairs on the rocky ship down to meet the others for cocktails and yet another delicious dinner.  Our waiters keep us laughing with their jokes and antics … always a fun evening.  Afterwards we enjoyed the performance of Chris Watkins, Fire on Four Strings. He entertained us on two different violins; and, my goodness, he could make those strings sing!  It was another wonderful evening aboard this Majestic Princess!