Milford Sound was everything we had heard: massive, impressive, gorgeous. Formed thousands of years ago, the sound is really a fjord (which means its massive walls were cut by ice flows), but since it had been misnamed a sound, the New Zealanders decided to continue to keep the name. It is a nice two-hour drive from the nearest town and the only fjord out of a dozen that is accessible by car.

Depending on time of day and the seasons, the sound is hazy, cloudy, or bright. We arrived just before noon for our boat ride down the length of the sound.

Before we checked in for the boat ride, we looked over the nice dock.

One of the various styles of boats for taking tourists into the sound.

The boats for hire were large and clean and powerful. Only about a dozen passengers were on our trip down through the sound to the ocean.

A sign with models of Cannibal Flies was in the ticket area. Luckily, we didnt see any of these on our boat trip!

These guys ARE everywherebut lotion and boat movement made them bearable.

The cockpit for the boat we rode on was very modernI almost traded places with the captainwhat a nice place to sit!

As we left the dock, the first thing we saw along the sides of the fjord was a nice waterfall.

Soon, the fjord opened up and the view was amazing.

Below: in the huge sound, you can see the nice waterfall in the distanceas well as a plane overhead, giving tourists another look. Left: A close-up of the plane as it went overhead.

The top of our boat had the life rafts bundled up under covers that were pretty good for sitting. Judy is in the back with a nice Australian guy who wanted to see Milford Sound. On the journey, we would all walk around on the boat to take photos and see different views.

Some of the sides of the fjord had some growth on the rocks.

Some of the cliffs looked vertical, but when we passed, I could see that a jump off the top might not allow you to make the water!

Our guide said that many of these tall trees on the cliffs eventually fall into the sounderosion where their roots try to hold onto the mountain.

Deep into Milford Sound, one got the full effect of thousand-foot cliffs on the sides.

Top: Some kayakers have fun in the cold sounds waters. Bottom: A little tugboat passes our bigger tourist boat.

After about a 90-minute ride through the sound, we approached the ocean. Milford Sound sits on the southwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand and is the farthest north of all the fjords. We went around the bend to the right, then turned around and motored back through the sound to the dock.

Looking back into Milford Sound from the ocean turn- around. All afternoon, the clouds moved throughout the sound, never clearing but never fully obscuring the view.

A special area of the sound is home to some seals…and, on this day, some visiting kayakers.

Several shots of a great waterfall on the side of the sound.

As we pulled away from the waterfall, the full height of the mountain beyond the waterfall can be seen.

One peak even has snow on it year roundthis was summer in New Zealand.

I would have loved to have had the time to go up into the glacier area of the mountain on the north side of the sound.

One last view of a magnificent fjord on the South Island of New ZealandMilford Sound. It is well worth the time and effort to get there.

On the way out of the dock area, we saw this little guya rarity to see, we are told: a penguin.

The Russells enjoyed their time in the sound!