Majestic Milford Sound Boat Cruise

We continued our journey, driving through a tunnel that dropped 128 meters down and came out the other side in the valley.

Dropping further and further all the way to sea level at Milford Sound, the west coast opening to the Tasman Sea, called Dale Point. Piopiotahi is the Maori name for Milford Sound and the inlet runs 15-16 km inland. Crystal clear, aqua blue is a mixture of fresh water and saltwater leading out to the sea. Milford Sound is technically a fjord (a long, narrow inlet of sea between high cliffs), created by glaciers.

We're told that penguins sometimes appear; and penguins shed their skins this time of year. Bottle nose dolphins are sometimes seen as well. I didn't see any. However, I did see a couple of New Zealand fur seals sunning themselves on a rock.

The Milford Sound boat cruise was magnificent and so beautiful. The colors really are that brilliant. The boat got so close to the waterfalls. I could feel the mist, the cold air, and the power of the water.

After the boat cruise, we loaded up in the van, and began the four hour bumpy treck back to Queenstown. 13 hours total; 9 hours of driving. I was cold and tired, and headed up the steep hill to a hot shower and rest. No karaoke for Kimberly tonight.

Did you know that Queenstown is known as the adventure capital of the world? Huge ski town with three ski resorts. Lots of other outside activities, anything and everything. In fact, the bungee jump off the AJ Hackett Kawarau Bridge was the very first commercial bungee jump in the world, founded in 1988. It's a 43 meter drop with water touch option. I saw this on Friday on the wine tour. Nope. I'll stick with the gondola.Read more