Day 8 Doubtful and Milford Sounds

Shortened Version

We experienced rough seas today, but our stateroom mid-ship made the ride comfortable. We cruised Doubtful Sound in the morning — despite cloudy weather it was peaceful and beautiful on the calm protected waters.
Later, in the afternoon, we reached Milford Sound, where the weather cleared and the scenery was spectacular. I took countless photos of towering mountains and numerous waterfalls, especially around Lady Bowen Falls at the fjord’s head. The fjord was busy with other boats, planes and helicopters, but the views were unforgettable. We wrapped up the day enjoying a delicious afternoon “high tea” onboard — a perfect finish to an amazing day. 

The sea has become very rough, as we were warned by our Captain, but where our suite is situated on the 6th deck - Midship - it is really not very bad at all.  Go forward or Aft and it is an entirely different matter.  On our last cruise we were on the 10th deck, Aft, and it was pretty rough back there. 

So today we cruised both Doubtful and Milford Sounds.  When we reached Doubtful Sound at around 10am the weather had closed in so I have no doubt that we did not see Doubtful Sound in its best light, however it was still lovely to cruise along in the smooth protected waters.

By the time we reached Milford Sound, around 3pm, the weather conditions had improved significantly, and we had the most glorious cruise through the fjord.  Honestly, I could not stop taking photographs.  So many waterfalls, and those mountains soaring up to 1700 metres were simply awesome, the tallest being Mitre Peak.

We share the fjord with dozens of tourist boats, planes and helicopters.  No sooner does one plane land than another takes to the sky.

We cruised all the way into the head of the fjord where Lady Bowen Falls, with a height of 162 metres was situated.  I was talking to another lady standing beside me and she said that she used to work in the tiny township and back in those days the main building was a five star resort.  Sadly, today it is a backpackers lodge.

To while away the hours cruising through the sound we enjoyed a very delicious array of delicacies at the onboard afternoon "high" tea.  It truly was a perfect day in every sense of the word.