Thursday, 6 February 2025 - This day we cruise through Fiordland National Park. We enter the park at two
points, first at the southern part and then in the northern part of the park.
This is a rock formation at the entrance to the Dusky Sound called the Five Fingers.
Of course, we cannot see the tops due to the clouds and fog.
These islands float in the still water.
Initially overlooked by European explorers, Milford Sound with its narrow entry surprisingly leads into large interior bays. Sailing ship captains like James Cook, bypassed Milford Sound for just this reason. They also feared venturing too close to the steep mountainsides and with poor wind conditions might prevent escape.
With the improving weather and the fact we are in Milford Sound, the Observation Deck is very crowded and the sighting of Dolphins makes it difficult to move around.
They are hard to see, and many on the ship miss them completely. They are in the foreground at the edges where the rock changes from dark to light, and look like brown blobs on the rock.
The river and waterfalls were named for Lady Bowen, wife of George Bowen, the fifth governor of New Zealand. The governor visited Milford Sound aboard HMS Clio in 1871, and Bowen Falls was named to mark the occasion.
In the foreground is Mount Kimberley.
The ship gives some perspective on how large the cliffs are reaching into the sea.
The waterfall is named for Captain Stirling, who sailed the HMS Cleo into Milford Sound in the 1870s.
