Milford Sound

Friday, Feb. 23, 2024

Sailing toward Hobart, Tasmania

Milford Sound/Piopiotahi) is a fiord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island within Fiordland National Park , Piopiotahi Marine Reserve and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. Love all the vowels and syllables in the names! It has been judged as one the world's top travel destinations and is acclaimed as New Zealand's most famous tourist destination. Rudyard Kipling called Milford Sound the eighth wonder of the world and it has been the inspiration for scenes in movies such as Lord of the Rings. It really is exceptional — we saw snow covered peaks, incredible waterfalls and impressive volcanic rock cliffs.

Yesterday, Onward sailed into the Milford Sound so we could appreciate the natural beauty of this magical place. There was a special, fun cocktail party on deck featuring kiwi drinks and photo ops. It was chilly and windy, but not rainy — a calm before the storm of crossing from the South Island to Tasmania, the Tasman Sea, which the Australians call “the Ditch.” I’m calling it the Bitch! Rough seas have us staggering around the ship, trying to keep from bumping into each other and the walls. A low pressure system is impacting this leg, but there’s no safe harbour until we reach Hobart, so sea days to catch up on blogging, emailing, playing Rummikub, and attending a lecture on national security from a former US Dep. Sec. of Defense. This part of the world is extraordinarily important to the USA interests vs.China.