24 Nov 2018 - Cruise Day 4: Amazing Milford Sound

After two days of cruising at sea, we finally managed to see land early this morning.  And it's not just any ordinary piece of land.  It's the spectacular Milford Sound.

Our ship arrived at Milford Sound at about 7:30am.  One of the reasons why I requested for a balcony stateroom this cruise is mainly for this day.  Instead of crowding on the outdoor deck to enjoy the breathtaking scenery, we could do it at the comfort of our stateroom.  By the way, the weather was pretty cold (~16°C) outside and with the wind, it's very chilling.

Extracted from our Cruise Compass:
"The Maori believed it was a godly mason who carved Milford Sound - a befitting explanation for such a perfectly sculpted work of art.  The sheer precision of every slope is unfathomable, which is why Milford Sound is one of the most visually enticing natural wonders in all of New Zealand, and certainly the most famous in Fiordland.  Breathtaking peaks rise from the crystal clear blue water as stunning waterfalls tumble back into the sea."

As our ship sailed deeper into Milford Sound, we saw another cruise ship (Golden Princess) sailing out.  Before this trip, I always thought that Milford Sound has very narrow channel that can only be accessible by smaller boat.  Now then I realized that the channel into Milford Sound is actually very wide and more than enough to accommodate a few big cruise ships.

As we approached the innermost part of Milford Sound, we saw the famous Bowen Falls.  At this spot, the Bowen River plunges from the top of a 162m cliff into the Milford Sound.

At the focal point of all this raw, unspoiled beauty is the Mitre Peak, reflected in the mirror-like waters below.

With such beautiful natural landscape in front of me, I could sit at the balcony whole day just looking at this paradise.

We started sailing out of Milford Sound at about 9:30am.  Our itinerary for today was to cruise along Fiordland, the largest National Park and one of the largest in the world.  It had been recognised as one of the world's foremost natural landscapes through its inclusion in Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand World Heritage Area.

Next, we will sail to Doubtful Sound via Thompson Sound.

At 10:45am, there was a presentation on Fiordland National Park World Heritage Area by a Principal Fiordland Cruise Consultant at Aurora Theatre.  We attended the presentation while Jerlene and Javier went for their own activities at Adventure Ocean.

While on our way to Windjammer for our lunch, we stopped by the Centrum to watch a Champagne & Soda Toss Game where participants on Deck 6 tried to toss rings onto a bottle on Deck 5.

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