Monday – October 29, 2018
There were rough seas all night long as the ship passed through Foveaux Straight and rounded the southern end of New Zealand. Our destination was Fjordland National Park also known as Te Wahipounamu in the Maori language. The park takes up the entire south-western coast of New Zealand and is a UNESCO Heritage Site.
The ship entered Dusky Sound about 8:30 in the morning as the clouds began to lift and the sun poked through. Ian Thorne, one of the park rangers was aboard to provide commentary over the loudspeaker as we slowly rode through the calm and beautiful fjord. The ship sailed around Resolution Island and out through Breaksea Sound.
The Majestic continued north to Doubtful Sound and entered our second fjord about eleven o’clock under a bright blue sky and excellent visibility.
Ian Thorne’s commentary was excellent because he was born in the region and lived his entire life in the National Park. He told about his many hiking and camping trips and the park’s conservation efforts to preserve New Zealand’s flora and fauna.
The ship continued to cruise up the windy coast. The plan was to turn in and explore three fjords before crossing the Tasman Sea to Australia. After Dusky and Doubtful Sounds, the Majestic entered the amazing and awe-inspiring Milford Sound.
The mountains in Milford Sound were taller and more spectacular than the previous beautiful Dusky and Doubtful Sounds. There was snow on top of the mountains and we watched as the ship slowly passed through the narrow stone canyon walls. Fiordland reminded me of Norway.
The fjords were spectacular and the views were once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Later in the afternoon, Majestic left beautiful New Zealand behind and we continued westward. The ship was back in the open ocean, crossing the windy and rough Tasman Sea on our way to Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. The Captain informed us that the wind had gusts up to 70 knots and waves over 16 feet high. I’m glad I’m on a big ship with stabilizers and not in a small boat!
We have two Sea Days on the Tasman Sea before we reach the Australian island of Tasmania. We’re looking forward to a few activities and lots of rest & relaxation……