Live - Standing Ovation from the Land Down Under - New Zealand, 11 Nights Feb. 2, 2020

[twangster]

All good things must come to an end and so does our passage through Doubtful Sound.

 

 

You could see a distinct difference in the water between the open sea and the sheltered waters in the sound.

 

 

 

Looking North up the coast.

 

 

Looking South down the coast.

 

 

[twangster]

Time lapse of our transit through Doubtful Sound.

 

 

Edited February 11, 2020 by twangster

[twangster]

At some point the Captain came on with news of Mlford Sound.  It's a go! 

 

We are to be the first large ship allowed back in since it was closed from the flooding.

 

Scheduled for a 4pm arrival we have a few hours of downtime on our way up the coast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our progress...

 

 

[Bailey & Sophie]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

 

Our progress...

 

 

 

We went through the 3 sounds 2 years ago. We didn't get to see too much due to torrential rains. And it was COLD! What we did see was beautiful.

[John&LaLa]

2 hours ago, twangster said:

 

I have three zoom lens with me.  12 -24mm, 24-105mm and 70-300mm.

 

I keep debating hauling my DSLR on the Allure TA. Not many ports, but were going to Cordoba, Barcelona, and Girona.

 

[twangster]

Milford Sound

 

When I booked this cruise I was focused on the port of calls.  The fact that we might also visit the sounds was an added bonus.  Little did I know the Sounds would be the highlight of the cruise with Milford Sound leading the way.  Milford Sound is worth the price of admission alone.   

 

At a distance you can't see the entrance.  Milford Sound is an inlet where we go on, turn around and come back out the same way.  In that respect it's similar to Endicott Arm in Alaska.

 

 

 

Like Doubtful Sound there are high mountains on each side.  However the terrain in Milford Sound is much more dramatic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[twangster]

There are roads to Milford Sound and the area offers tours by boat.  They offer a sense of scale when you see how small the boats are next to the terrain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We continued into the inlet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The end of the inlet contains the dock where the excursion boats were operating from.  There was an excursion offered through Royal that would have started in Dunedin and featured an overnight stay off the ship and driving to Milford Sound where you would take a boat out to the ship.  That would have missed Dusky and Doubtful Sounds but for a future visit I may explore that option a bit more.

 

 

 

 

 

[twangster]

Here we begin a slow turn and prepare to head back out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The close proximity to very tall mountains is stunning.

 

 

[John&LaLa]

I wonder how this compares to the inlets around Cape Horn, or the fjords in Norway

[twangster]

On our way out we encountered another cruise ship on her way in.

 

 

 

Lots of run for two ships.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[twangster]

With that we were back at the entrance from the sea.  Pictures simply don't do Milford Sound justice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outr local pilot departed the ship.

 

 

 

 

For those keeping score we ended the day at 16°C or 61°F but in the strong sun it didn't feel cold.

 

 

[twangster]

Obligatory time lapse of Milford Sound.

 

 

We had a strong wind blowing down Milford Sound.  So strong on the way out it moved my phone as it recorded the time lapse.  

Edited February 11, 2020 by twangster

[Tee & Chilli]

Absolutely gorgeous 

[uvadover]

Legitimately amazing.  Wow.

[Chiliburn]

The glacier on top of the mountain had a pink tint, that’s dust from central Australia.

Every couple of years the southern alps turn pink from Australian dust.

[twangster]

43 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

I wonder how this compares to the inlets around Cape Horn, or the fjords in Norway

Cape Horn is intriguing to me.  Norway is booked   Wanted to get in before ships are banned for not meeting zero emissions.  

[M-H-B]

Looks like you had an absolutely perfect day for it. So great!

20+ years ago I was on one of those much smaller ships and we stayed overnight in Milford Sound and we got to swim off the side, it was really beautiful. 

Amazing photos Twangster, you could probably make a tidy profit selling copies to people on your cruise alone! 

[twangster]

With our Sounds complete it was time to make our way back to Oz.

 

That turned into a 9pm sunset this far South at this time of year.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2020 by twangster

[perfect match]

Once again, breathtaking! Thank you, Twangster!

[Biker19]

10 hours ago, twangster said:

 

 

Was it still in the 50s when you took this?

 

Biker, who's trying to gauge the hardiness of the Flowriders.

[psygist]

Do you know if the overland tour from Dunedin to Milford happened?

[Sea Dog]

9 hours ago, twangster said:

Obligatory time lapse of Milford Sound.

The nerd in me would like to know, where you using a go pro? and where exactly is your camera mounted and what is it mounted to? Love to see a pic of your set up.

[pink845]

Twangster, 

 

Once again, lovely photos.  I am taking note of all your angles so that I can try and replicate some of those photos during my cruise through the sounds in March.  Often I only focus on the scenery and leave the ship out of the pictures.  But I see including the ship adds dimension to the whole view.  The Sounds are very much like Alaska without all the ice.  Of course so much more lovely greenery inside those Sounds.  

[Mrs.Dukes]

Awesome pictures Twangster! Enjoying following along.

[MaryEBS]

These pictures are some of your best work!  Thanks so much for sharing them!