Cruising the Inland waterway of Milford Sound and weird underwater creatures

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Seeing the Tasman Sea for the first time, I feel elated to realize that we are so far south in the Southern Hemisphere. The vast Fiordland National Park was created in 1952 and is one of New Zealand’s largest untamed wildernesses of which Milford Sound is a part.

It was first discovered by a Welshman in 1809 who named it Milford Haven, but in 1851 this was later renamed Milford Sound by another Welshman.

The floating Underwater Observatory, along the coast of the Sound, was a fascinating stop on our cruise. It was so interesting to see the fish underground in their natural habitat. The black coral is white while it’s alive and is hard to believe it’s made of such minuscule animals that create these exquisite tree-like branches. Many of the corals, fish, sea urchins, anemones, etc. normally live in deeper water, but the layer of fresh water above the sea water doesn’t allow for much light to penetrate. The result is that we can see them close up in their own natural environment.

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Photos

"Pride of Milford"
our cruise boat on the far right

The Tasman Sea
on the horizon

Seals on the rocks
amazing that they can reach the top of such a steep rock

A colourful array of sea life
black coral amongst the fish

a speckled fish
in the Underwater Observatory

Disembarking
Ellen and Tim Janicki in the foreground

Mitre Peak in the background
the small airport at Milford Sound