Millford Sound

Sorry for the long hiatus. Work has been busy, and Rachel had me cleaning house at night in preparation of our first non-parent visitors. Laddy, Amy and Mark came up and spent the weekend with us. It was a blast. I'll blog on that visit later.

Back to New Zealand...



After visiting Deer Park Heights in the morning, Tim, Liz, Rachel and I flew to Millford Sound on a 9-passenger prop plane. The options were take a 45 minute flight on a plane the size of Rachel's Prelude, or drive 5 hours each way to see the sound. Many people, and we now agree, think that Millford Sound may be the most beautiful place they have ever seen.

Here is a shot that shows how small the inside of the plane is. The flight over was NOT smooth when we went over the last set of mountains. Tim had to pry my white knuckles from the seat in front of me once we landed. I WAS SCARED!!!






Takeoff... Notice that the engine sounds like we are flying in a 3-horsepower weedeater.


The scenery from the air.


This is the video of the landing at Millford Sound. The video cannot do it justice. We were surrounded by 8,000+ foot tall cliffs on 3 sides. We actually flew in at 12,000 feet and then circled inside the sound to drop altitude to allow this landing.


Once we landed, we took a cruise of the sound. This is a great shot of Tim on the back of the boat with a waterfall and the New Zealand flag in the background.

This is a shot of the girls from the back of the boat, with Millford Sound in the background. Millford Sound is actually not a "sound" but a "fiord". A "sound" is cut by a river, while a "fiord" is cut by a glacier. Millford Sound was actually cut by a glacier.






This is a video of a waterfall close up.


The boat captain told us he was going to get close to the waterfall. He was quite literal.


This is a video of one of the other waterfalls in the fiord.


The cruise took us all the way to where the fiord empties into the ocean. When we got within view of the ocean, a group of dolphins joined our boat. I was able to get a little footage of them.


Following the cruise, we took the 45 minute flight back to Queenstown. We actually landed on a grass runway. That was pretty cool. Luckily, the flight back was much smoother than the one over.



Below are several pictures from the flight and cruise. My favorite is the shot we got of the glacier lake on top of the mountain. It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. You can click on the pictures to make them larger.

Also, there is a picture of several seals sunbathing on top of a large rock. I am interested in theories that any of you might have on how these seals got on top of the rock. Hint: It is not the tide, as the tide lines were evident on the rock and were much lower.









































Reflections - Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs



I'm not sure I can really add much commentary... the sign says it all.


I wonder if this sign could pass the truth in advertising requirements in the United States? It sure passed the "funny enough to be in a picture" test.
















Tim and Liz, this sign is for you.