Circumnavigating New Zealand — Fiordland 2020; Cruising Milford Sound

Milford Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand

Just to recap, it’s March 2020 aboard Royal Caribbean’s ship Radiance of the Seas, and we’re plying the same waters we did a year before aboard Princess Cruise Lines’ Majestic Princess. We are cruising Milford Sound inside New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park. On this day the approach to Milford Sound appeared gloomy, and the weather was obviously not going to cooperate:

Milford Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand

Fortunately, those limitations in no way impacted photography until later in the day when, in Doubtful Sound, the drizzle eventually had me sitting beneath shelter in the stern. That tended to limit my photography, but as for Milford precipitation was for the most part holding off nicely.

Milford Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand

Indeed, the low clouds gave a nice contrast to the previous year’s good weather photos. The peak-hugging fog added quite a bit of drama:

Milford Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand

At the far end of Milford Sound is a small marina:

Milford Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand

And just a short distance from that marina are the impressive Lady Bowen Falls, which is the tallest of the two permanently flowing waterfall in Milford Sound. This waterfall cascades 531 feet/162 meters from the Bowen River into the sound below. For an overview of waterfalls in this area, see: Top 6 Waterfalls to see in Milford Sound.

Lady Bowen Falls, Milford Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand

Here’s a view of Milford Sound in the wake of the Radiance of the Seas:

Retreating from Lady Bowen Falls (left), Milford Sound

The other permanent waterfall within Milford Sound is Stirling Falls. While not quite as tall as Bowen, it’s actually considered the more impressive of the two falls because of the shear drop. This waterfall drops 495 feet/151 meters. If this fall looks familiar, you may recognize it from the movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This is the waterfall from which Hugh Jackman’s character jumps to escape a bad situation.

Stirling Falls, Milford Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park

I’ll leave you today with these final two images from Milford Sound:

Milford Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand

Milford Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand