If you’re driving down the two-lane highway that’s the only paved road in New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park, you can have only one destination — after all, the highway ends at Milford Sound.
© 2016. The Milford Sound / Piopiotahi in Fiordland National Park in the Southland region of New Zealand. Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016. Portra 400, Pentax 6×7.
Milford Sound, or Piopiotahi in Maori, is one of several fiords in Fiordland. It’s by far the most accessible, and is by some measures New Zealand’s most famous tourist attraction.
We booked a late-afternoon two-hour cruise to allow us plenty of time to make stops along the way to Milford Sound, plus explore the area on foot before embarking on the boat.
© 2016. The Milford Sound / Piopiotahi in Fiordland National Park in the Southland region of New Zealand. Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016. Portra 400, Pentax 6×7.
© 2016. The Milford Sound / Piopiotahi in Fiordland National Park in the Southland region of New Zealand. Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016. Portra 160+1, Pentax 6×7.
© 2016. The Milford Sound / Piopiotahi in Fiordland National Park in the Southland region of New Zealand. Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016. Portra 160+1, Pentax 6×7.
© 2016. The Milford Sound / Piopiotahi in Fiordland National Park in the Southland region of New Zealand. Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016. Portra 160+1, Pentax 6×7.
Because our boat was so small, the cruise operators were able to steer us fairly close to waterfalls and other features. They also took us out into the open Tasman Sea for maybe 15 minutes, which was enough to churn my stomach. Other cruise companies do offer longer or overnight durations in larger boats, which wouldn’t be as affected by the water currents.
© 2016. The Milford Sound / Piopiotahi in Fiordland National Park in the Southland region of New Zealand. Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016. Portra 160+1, Pentax 6×7.
© 2016. The Milford Sound / Piopiotahi in Fiordland National Park in the Southland region of New Zealand. Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016. Portra 160+1, Pentax 6×7.
© 2016. The Milford Sound / Piopiotahi in Fiordland National Park in the Southland region of New Zealand. Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016. Portra 160+1, Pentax 6×7.
© 2016. The Milford Sound / Piopiotahi in Fiordland National Park in the Southland region of New Zealand. Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016. Portra 160+1, Pentax 6×7.
I was nursing my second cup of tea inside the boat lounge to try to soothe my roiling stomach when, very unexpectedly, the sun broke through the clouds for the first time that entire day. I immediately jumped from my seat and ran to the stern, where I captured these last two frames before the clouds obscured the sun once again.
© 2016. The Milford Sound / Piopiotahi in Fiordland National Park in the Southland region of New Zealand. Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016. Portra 160+1, Pentax 6×7.
And, just a moment later:
© 2016. The Milford Sound / Piopiotahi in Fiordland National Park in the Southland region of New Zealand. Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016. Portra 160+1, Pentax 6×7.
Thank goodness I had several frames left at the end of that roll of film — these final two photos are among my very favorites from the entire trip.
A selection of these photos can be purchased as prints at prints.christhedunn.com.
Words and Light 
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