Milford Sound | Fotoeins Fotografie

Milford Sound, Piopiotahi, Fiordland National Park, Te Moana o Atawhenua, Southland, South Island, Te Wahipounamu, Te Wai Pounamu, Te Waipounamu, Te Waka a Maui, Te Waka o Aoraki, New Zealand, Aotearoa,

Fotoeins Friday: RTW10, thirty-one

10 years ago, I began an around-the-world (RTW) journey lasting 389 consecutive days, from 24 December 2011 to 15 January 2013 inclusive.

25 July 2012.

Like many before me, I’ve purchased a package for a daytrip on New Zealand’s South Island. After a 5-hour ride from Queenstown on a large comfortable coach/bus, we arrive at Milford Sound (Piopiotahi) and hop onto a 2-hour cruise into the waters of the Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua). Pyramid-shaped frosted mountain peaks, steep cliffs, tall waterfalls, and deep fjords are the common sight; another bonus comes with the arrival of dolphins swimming alongside the boat.

The highlighted geographical feature in this post is located within the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand”. I made the image on 25 Jul 2012 with a Canon EOS450D (Rebel XSi) and these settings: 1/1600-sec, f/4, ISO200, and 18mm focal length (29mm full-frame equivalent). This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-mgM.

New Zealand: inside Fiordland’s Milford Sound

A trip to New Zealand’s South Island is incomplete without a visit to the Fiordland National Park. A stop at one or both of Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound is also highly recommended, as they are some of the most popular destinations in New Zealand and on the South Island. From Queenstown, I sided with Real Journeys for a daytrip out to Milford Sound: morning coach on the only road access, Milford Sound Highway (State Highway 94), from Queenstown to Milford Sound; a boat into the fiord; and the return to Queenstown by plane. The Maori Ngai Tahu name for the body of water is Piopiotahi (“one piopio bird”). The piopio resembles a thrush but is considered extinct with the last sighting in 1905.

Much of the scenery reminds me of my home province: coastal British Columbia. Carved by glacial activity, Fjords (also spelled “fiords”) are long narrow inlets with steep sides or cliffs. My time in southwest New Zealand reminds me of home along the southwest coast of British Columbia.

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