The Ballentine Kids Blog: Milford Sound

There are few words and pictures that can describe this. Our drive to the sound was stunning. It was raining, which I guess it does all but 80 days of the year. It is the best way to see the sound. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of waterfalls on the canyon walls as you drive down. And the canyon walls are towering. Once you get to the sound there are more and more gracing the sides of the cliffs of the sound. Some large, some small, but most are only there if it is raining. And it was raining. We all got very wet, but Jaron, Peter and Lucy were soaked. The boat would occasionally pull as close as it could to the cliffs. One had a pretty large waterfall, and they were at the front of the boat (on purpose) and were so covered in the water that Sara and Andrew (who were sitting inside laughing heartily) could not see them. Another waterfall they put a tray of glasses down to fill so we could drink - Wow!

Can you see the faint rainbow?

Lady Bowen Falls

Filling the drinking glasses - there is a tray on the front of the ship

Drinking waterfall water - delicious

Peter in a waterfall - this wasn't the soaker

There are Fur seals resting on that rock behind Lucy

A photo for perspective - can you see the kayakers in the small yellow boats at the base? Yet you can't see the tops of the cliffs.

Soaked and Happy

Our car - we are stopped at Homer tunnel - only one lane of cars through at a time.

The drive home was just as great. All the sites we missed because we were driving like crazy to get to the sound for our boat time, we stopped to see on the way back.

The Chasm-just like it sounds with loud and roaring waters that have carved their way through the stone - stunning.

Keas-a local mountain parrot that they call the clown of the mountains. You would stop your car and they would land on top. Or plant themselves in front of the open doors of buses and wait for the tourists. Hilarity ensues when you combine kids and Keas.