Boy, did we have a rough sailing last night. During dinner, we thought the bottles of wine would tip over at any instant. Later on, it only got worse. Some folks love the motion, but only during the night time, after going to bed. Other than that, there is no good reason to love it. This is normal, however, especially considering that we had to sail around the bottom of the South Island. Currents and winds can be treacherous. Perhaps it could have been much worse.
Bright and early at 6am, Fiordland rolls (aka Panama rolls) were being served with juice and coffee in the Crow’s Nest and the Atrium. Not sure why anyone would choose to be up that early, since the sun did not rise until close to 7am. The Fiordland National Park of New Zealand covers almost 10% of the country. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We did learn that some people did in fact, go early to the Crow’s Nest to save those over-sized chairs for the entire day. This is normal behavior when there are scenic cruising days, such as transiting the Panama or Suez Canals, sailing into impressive harbors like Hong Kong, Sydney, or San Francisco, and exploring fjords around the world. During her fjord talks today, Barbara H did suggest it was only fair to let everyone have a chance to see the dramatic cliffs and waterfalls of the sounds. In our opinion, the best place to experience this, has to be outside where you can feel the extremes of the cold or heat.
The Amsterdam entered the first fjord, Dusky Sound, around 8am. It definitely was not “mostly sunny” outside. It was mostly overcast, windy, and foggy, just like we remembered it from past cruises. The scenery was nice anyway while we had breakfast in the dining room. It’s a real treat for the waiters, who have the extra benefit of viewing the transit through the dining room windows. They were the first to spot some dolphins at the entrance to the fjord, while they were keeping a lookout for waterfalls.
By the time we went to deck three to see them, all were gone of course. It was a good time to take our normal walk, more so, because the deck was not crowded yet. It was cool, windy, and not looking so great, even by the time the ship exited around 10am. Good time to work on yesterday’s photos, and be ready for the next go at Doubtful Sound.
At 11:15am, we entered the second fjord, Doubtful Sound. By now, the sun had begun to peek out of the clouds. It made such a huge improvement for the photos, turning the blues and greens much more intense. Hot chocolate was even served on all decks this time. Both of these sounds were accessed with one entrance, then exited by another. And we were not alone in our explorations. The NCL Jewel happened to be 20 minutes ahead of us. On one hand, it was great to have the ship in photos for prospective, but we didn’t appreciate the smoke they left behind them. It put a constant blue tinge in our photos. Oh well, can’t have it all.
We munched on room snacks for lunch – cheese and crackers, fruit, nuts, nothing heavy. Sometimes it is nice to take a break from sit-down meals. Our intention was to do computer work while watching a movie, but that never happened. We ended up with the several news networks, putting up with the TV cutting in and out due to spotty satellite connections. Not sure if we will have a good connection while sailing across the Tasman Sea.
The last fjord was the best one, in our opinion. We entered Milford Sound around 3:15pm under perfectly blue skies and wonderful temperatures, at least on the way in. Although this fjord was not as long of a sail in, it was the most dramatic. That’s probably why there were many other small boats, single prop planes, and even a helicopter touring the same time we were. We saw many waterfalls and an elephant-shaped rock formation as we entered. Scouring the cliffs and crevices for wildlife, the only thing we saw were a few gulls or terns. Barbara H had said to look out for dolphins in the entrance, but we saw none. This particular fjord has only one way in and out. Once the ship turned around, we darn near blew off of the bow, where we had been spending most of the day. And one nice touch was the serving of Dutch pea soup at 3:30pm.
Staying up on the bow, we filmed it until well after 4:30pm. Once we cleared the opening to the Tasman Sea, it got rough. By dinnertime, we were rolling pretty good, making us wonder what kind of crossing we will have as we are heading towards Sydney, Australia next. The Tasman Sea is notorious for being dicey.
Since two of our tablemates were invited elsewhere for dinner, we had company…..two friends of Bonnie and Paul. Having a table for two upstairs at the earlier seating, we hope they were not intimidated at such a large table as ours. Sometimes there can be three different conversations happening at the same time. Never boring. We all remarked how odd it seemed that the sun did not set until 9:18pm, an indication of how far south we are at the present time.
And we had a time change tonight…..one hour back. Certainly appreciate that. The front elevators were mostly shut down today, only two were working. So as a result, we took to the stairs instead. Good for us, we guess. We shall sleep good tonight.
And to answer one recurring question regarding Hokey Pokey ice cream. It is a particularly creamy vanilla ice cream with honeycomb-flavored bits of crunchy candies. Simply irresistible.
Looking forward to two days at sea, but only if they come without the deep swells and rocking and rolling. A little of that goes a long way.
Nightly quote from yesterday: Keep your eyes on the horizon and your nose to the wind. Clint Eastwood
Bill & Mary Ann
Dusky Sound…….
Map of the Fiordland National Park – almost 3 million acres
Entrance to Dusky Sound
Under very cloudy skies
Many layers of mountains
We are coming from the Tasman Sea
Entering slowly
On the lookout for dolphins
Headlands
Park was established in 1952
Administered by the Dept. of Conservation
Slopes covered with beech trees
Quiet and peaceful
Dolphins like the entrances, but rarely go into the fjords
Sailing into the opened-ended fjord
Spotting snow on some slopes
Making waves
Fog on the peaks
Some of the peaks are actually islands
Must be very deep here
First waterfall we saw
Like streams of thread
The way inside
Dense rainforest
Not a soul lives here
Perhaps the sun will peek out
More streams
Nice scenery
No sign of civilization
Clear view closer up
It may rain yet
Rocky shoreline
Many layers of cliffs and peaks
Rocks and beaches - deserted
Maoris used to fish here
Caves on the shoreline
We did see a few fish farm nets
Little islands
Possible landing spot
Island
A local boat
A few small boats in the area
We see Los Arcos
Reminds us of Cabo San Lucas
Complete with the hole in the rock
Blue sky was shining through
Hope for a better day
Will we see the sun?
Sailing out into the Tasman Sea
Leaving Dusky Sound
Still searching for dolphins
Never did see any of them
That’s the NCL Jewel ahead of us
