Fjords and Tazman Sea

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On Tuesday the 15th we enjoy a day of cruising the sights of South Island NZ. While we are told there are 300 plus days of rain here to make this land so green, today we start with fog and clouds which gradually change to the most magnificent sunny, cloudless day we’ve seen. First we pass through Dusky Fjord where the glacier hewn mountain sides drop dramatically into the sea. No human signs are visible on the tree covered hillsides of Fjordland National Park. Completing that passage we next enter Doubtful Fjord, so named by Capt James Cook because he doubted they could get out of the passage without grounding. We prove him wrong with great scenery and move on to Milford Sound, the tourist magnet and jewel of the west coast, named after Milford Haven of Wales, while the Cleddau River which flows into the sound is also named for its Welsh Namesake. Milford Sound runs 15 kilometers inland from the Tasman Sea at Dale Point – the mouth of the Fjord – and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 3,900 feet or more on either side while covered by lush rain forests. Capt Pier Paolo Scala has outdone himself in planning this aspect of the voyage since he’s arrived early (of the course the good weather helped) and we spend several hours here slowly passing the Stirling Waterfalls before coming close to the Milford Sound community and slowly returning to the mouth of the sound, past the waterfalls, for spectacular photos. Mitre Peak is magnificently displayed at this UNESCO World Heritage site.
Our special tour of the ship’s galley by Executive Chef Fabien Alujas gave us an inside view of the heart of our culinary world. He described the 83 people who work there, serving in the main kitchen and 6 satellites in the 4 restaurants, room service and the crew’s mess. Planning 3 months ahead he orders for purchasing by the corporate headquarters and main storage facility in Miami. The food is then forwarded to each of the three Regent ships by an appropriate method – sea or air - in a dry stores, frozen foods, or perishable container. Local supplies are used for specialties such as local fish but may be unpredictable so are very carefully selected. He notes when he ran a restaurant in France it was up to the customer to decide whether the food he prepared was what they wished to eat or they didn’t come back whereas all the 600 + passengers on Voyage don’t have much choice so he has to prepare selections to their wishes. Planning is difficult and may be unpredictable as yesterday most wished to eat on the 11th deck’s La Veranda Restaurant to enjoy the view of the Milford Sound while he had 3 other restaurants to run. He has special rotating ovens for breads and a system for processing dinners after a customer orders, to ensure they get the meal they wished. Chefs prepare salads, appetizers, entrees, etc. in the main galley and then separate restaurant chefs finish them off with that special presentation nuance before placing before the customer. For sanitation purposes he follows the strictest USDA regulations since they are the most rigorous in the world. All buffet items are thrown out after being out for the 4 hours of presentation but items prepared (sometimes it takes three hours to prepare a meat item but it’s not ordered) not presented to customers are recooked to minimize waste. In typical Regent fashion we were presented champagne prior to the tour and this presentation was repeated an hour later at the special cocktail party for Regent Seven Seas Society members, those on the cruise who have been with Regent before. This time the caviar flowed and we enjoyed a special piano recital by last night’s headliner. Our dinner was in the Compass Rose Restaurant with two other couples (from San Francisco and Sydney, Australia) with whom we enjoyed great repartee.

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