Fiordland National Park - Feb 5, 2009 - Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

We entered Fiordland National Park about 7 am this morning. Fiordland is one of New Zealand's most majestic natural wonders. The park is made up of several Sounds, but they are more accurately classified as fjords. We enter Milford Sound early this morning. Milford Sound is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise up on either side. Around lunch, we entered Thompson Sound and connected inland to Doubtful Sound, sailing around Secretary Island lying in the middle. Through Milford Sound, the 14 nautical miles to the Tasman Sea are lined with mountain peaks that rise sharply to heights of 6,000 to 7,000 feet. The entrance is so concealed when viewed from the sea, that Captain Cook missed it entirely when he was charting these waters some 200 years ago. Fiordland typically receives on average 400 inches of rainfall per year, so we were really fortunate to have a beautiful sunny day to view the gorgeous scenary.