Here's a picture of our Southern Discoveries cruise ship:
And here's a little glimpse of my lunchtime view:
At first I thought the ride would be a cold one. We were bundled up, trying to keep our backs to the breeze while we admired the scenery. But before long, the sun was out and we were stripping off our jackets and rolling up our sleeves.
The first thing you notice when you look out over Milford Sound is the mountains. Massive cliffs drop straight into the water. Then you get on the boat, come around a slight bend, and waterfalls begin appearing out of nowhere.
Fun Fact (one our tour guides made sure we remembered): Milford Sound is actually not a sound. It's a fjord. The difference? Sounds are formed by water running in from the sea while fjords are carved out by slow-moving glaciers. To make up for naming the body of water incorrectly, someone decided to name the general area Fiordland. But they spelled it wrong.
And here comes one of my favorite memories from my time in New Zealand with my mom:
At the beginning of the cruise, our Southern Discovery took us straight to the base of a waterfall where a perfect rainbow was shining in the sun. As all of us tourists on the boat were snapping pictures, the crew put Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole's version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on the loudspeakers. Halfway through, I turned to my mom to comment on how cheesy it was. But when I looked at her, I realized she had tears in her eyes. Holding back my laughter a bit, I asked why. But I already knew.
"Just being here. With you. With this song playing..."
After that, of course I ended up with tears in my eyes too.
"Somewhere over the rainbow
Blue birds fly
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Dreams really do come true."
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