Breaksea Sound, Acheron Passage and Dusky Sound in Fiordland

We sailed on to the last part of Fiordland National Park that we were to see today.  We have now sailed into mostly cloudy and overcast skies, which lent an otherworldly feel to the watery landscape.

As we entered Breaksea Sound, we passed by these craggy rocks that seem to have fallen from the fiord.  Given the grey day we had right now, it really made me feel like our entry here was not welcome.

But, again, we came to yet another waterfall, and the colors here lightened the day for a brief time.  I refer to each of these as “a” waterfall, but you can see there are really many smaller falls that makes up this waterfall.  And, this waterfall only seems to start at about 2/3 of the way down the side of the fiord.  We think the flow thru the upper part of the fiord is underground, and the waterfalls just seem to spout out from somewhere lower down.

When we were cruising thru the Acheron Passage, we passed this sound called Wet Jacket Arm.  I admit, it did seem like sailing down the arm would result in wet jackets, but I’m not certain that’s where its name comes from!  I love the way the mist is rolling down the slopes of the fiord, don’t you?

We actually saw some flowers in this part of the fiords, growing very low on the slope, close to the water.  There were some growing close to another beautiful waterfall.  Can you see the little white flowers in the lower right of the image? They are at the level of where the waterfall meets the sea.

Sometimes, these other arms or sounds just seem to beckon us to enter.  I have no idea how far down some of these go, and if they connect to something that would lead us out again to the sea.  This is an incredible place, and totally unable to be accessed by land – you must be in a boat or ship.

And, so we come to the end of our travels thru this magnificent place.  As we sailed up and down these arms, sounds and the shoreline of the national park, I found myself at times feeling sorry for those who are atheists.  I’m not an overly religious person, but I just felt God’s creativity at work here, felt the magic of belief in what He has done here.  And, I wonder if atheists can feel it to the same degree, since they don’t have the magic of belief. 

Enjoy!