Tag Archives: Fiordland National Park

Fiordland National Park; from Majestic Princess

March 2019, and the weather was truly our friend as our ship Majestic Princess traversed deep into first Milford Sound, and later Doubtful Sound. I’ll go into more detail on these two areas when we view the return trip photos taken a year later. That series will start in twelve days, on 14 September. As it was, our time in Milford Sound this day started out cloudy:

Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park

But things brightened up considerably as the morning sun burned off the fog and mist:

Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park

One of the draws here are the bountiful waterfall cascading from the steep cliffs:

Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park

And there are a lot of such waterfalls here in Fiordland:

Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park

Now let’s enjoy some of the views:

Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

Including this tranquil scene of a small boat plying sound waters:

Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

Two more images from Fiordland for today:

Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

You may recall that I recently finished up a three-month series of articles on circumnavigating Australia by cruise (beginning with: Circumnavigating Australia — Starting in Sydney). That series of photos were taken over the course of two voyages spaced one year apart. Over the coming months I’ll be presenting a similar series on circumnavigating New Zealand. And, as with the Australia series, this one will feature images taken a year apart on two separate voyages.

Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

This week and next will feature New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park during our first visit in March 2019 aboard Majestic Princess.  After that we’ll return to view pictures taken a year later aboard Radiance of the Seas.

Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

Why show the same area twice? Because of the weather, mostly. As you can see in the photos here that the weather in March 2019 was, for the most part, quite nice, having started out on the cloudy side and brightening as the day moved forward. March 2020 was no less spectacular, but the weather this time was uncooperative, with low ceilings and periods of light drizzle. Hopefully you’ll enjoy the contrasting views offered during the two trips here.

Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

This first trip also had a pall cast over it. It was only one day before reaching Fiordland that our ship received word of the horrific Christchurch mosque shootings perpetrated by Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, an accelerationist and avowed white-supremacist with a documented history of ties to extremist right-wing groups throughout Europe and elsewhere. It was a truly sad time for both the Aussies and the Kiwis aboard.

Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

As you can see, Fiordland has much to offer in the way of scenic beauty, from tall mountains . . .

Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

. . . to lush vegetation:

Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

The waterway here is quite protected, so the surface is smooth and inviting:

Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

And the cloud-topped mountains are stunning:

Fiordland National Park, New Zealand