Saturday 3 February: Entering Milford Sound

Milford Sound is a fiord in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island.  It’s known for towering Mitre Peak, plus rain forests and waterfalls like Stirling and Bowen falls, which plummet down its sheer sides. The fiord is home to fur seal colonies, penguins and dolphins.

It has been judged the world's top travel destination in an international survey (the 2008 Travelers' Choice Destinations Awards by TripAdvisor) and is acclaimed as New Zealand's most famous tourist destination.  Rudyard Kipling had previously called it the eighth wonder of the world.

We had a pilot and a National Park Ranger on board.  The ranger provided a detailed commentary through all the fiords

Milford Sound is named after Milford Haven in Wales.  The Māori named the sound Piopiotahi after the thrush-like piopio bird, now extinct.  The Sound runs 15 kilometres inland from the Tasman Sea and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) or more on either side. Among the peaks are The Elephant at 1,517 metres (4,977 ft) and The Lion, 1,302 metres (4,272 ft).

Saturday 3 February: Land at last - and our first glimpse of New Zealand

We made sure we were up in time to see land approach and we were soon heading for Milford Sound.

We have company!

Friday 2 February - Sea Day

And still the wind howled around us and the waves were still high, but overall the day was a case of getting better, but only slowly.

We ventured into the Windjammer for some cereal and a hot drink but the tendency during the day was still to lie on the bed and hope the sea state would improve so that we could start to feel we were actually on a cruise!

In his midday update the captain did promise us slightly moderating winds and a fine day for the fiords, so perhaps we have turned the corner.

In the afternoon, a little web research revealed that we had experienced an exceptional couple of days - and that ex-tropical cyclone Fehi had been hammering parts of the South Island of New Zealand from Nelson to Dunedin and that local states of emergency had been declared.

We finally managed to get into circulation on the ship around teatime, reminding ourselves where things were on this class of ship.  We decided to see the evening show at 6.30pm - Piano Man - in the theatre at the bow of the ship.

We didn't last very long before we each looked at the other and said almost in unison: "I don't think I can do this!" as we bobbed up and down.  We headed for the middle of the ship and found two seats in an effort to regain our equilibrium.

After a while we headed off for dinner.  We each chose light courses and had a long chat with Australians on a neighbouring table.  Eventually we decided to call it a day.  The following morning we discovered that the show we had abandoned had been called off!

Thursday 1st February: Sea Day

We'd been warned that the sea would be lively and so it proved to be.

Having returned to our cabin after dinner last night at around 8pm and, apart from a couple of spells on a windy and very salty balcony, spent the next 24 hours in the cabin. And it seems we weren't alone in that.  Quite hilarious that in the afternoon whilst the ship was happily rocking that the Poseidon Adventure was on the TV.

We did eventually make it to the windjammer for a light snack but were happy to get back to the cabin. E watched the Big Bash on TV and G had a sleep.

This is what we've been on hammered by - http://www.smh.com.au/world/extropical-cyclone-batters-new-zealand-sparking-state-of-emergency-in-southern-towns-20180201-h0rx55.html

As a measure of how it's been - and is - we've now been on board for 48 hours and have spent nothing yet!  All we've seen is the Windjammer, the dining room and our cabin.

Wednesday 31st: Getting on board

Getting on board was fairly smooth, although there was quite a queue at security.  This time I did manage to get my gang socket on board without it being confiscated as it was two years ago when we were on Celebrity.

Whilst the weather in Perth had been sunny and hot, the weather in Sydney was much more iffy - cloudy, cooler with an on and off threat of at least light rain.

We weren't allowed in our cabins until 3pm - much later than usual and only later did we find out why.  In the meantime we found a table at the back of the Windjammer and set up shop with laptop and tablets and a drink or two.  We'd been given our wifi access code when we checked in - the most efficient example yet when we've boarded.  They boast that their wifi is the fastest at sea and it is good - even better for the fact that we paid for it out of our on board credit allowance they have given us.

As I continued to take photos the sky seemed to be getting ever darker.  If we thought there might be a storm brewing, we'd have been right!

We got into our cabin.  Elizabeth's case was there but Graeme's didn't arrive for ages after that.  We had muster at 5pm.  We learned two things over and above the normal muster stuff - that the crossing over the Tasman Sea to New Zealand would be rough and that the reason for the delay in getting into our cabins was because they were fumigating and disinfecting everything everywhere as they'd had an outbreak of the dreaded Norovirus on the previous cruise.  Not a great start!

We went for an early meal and got straight in to the dining room.  As soon as we got out of the Sydney Harbour inlet and out into the Tasman Sea the rock 'n roll event started - and how!  We quickly got through our meals and staggered back to the cabin - where we stayed!  Surely things would have settled done by the time we woke up on the Thursday, wouldn't they?

I've certainly updated the blog in less exotic places!

Using a dinghy with an outboard motor as a tug!

Our seaborne filling station withdraws gracefully

They even do nautical choreography outside the Sydney Opera House these days!

Wednesday 31st: Breakfast

We decided we'd have breakfast on the water's edge - for which you do pay a premium of course - but we had to move in a row as it started to drizzle on us.  The waitress did warn us to beware of the seagulls but she didn't say anything about the brazen cheek of the more colourful local birdlife!

Studying the menu

Refuelling in progress

O-oh, my suspicions are aroused!

This bird was confirmed by a former colleague from North Notts College as being a Rainbow Lorikeet - and a very thirsty one at that

A neighbour's table

Our table - and that's my glass of water, mate if you don't mind! Well I didn't really want it so hadn't the heart to shoo him/her off. I did enjoy admiring the coloured plumage.

"Did you say something?"

They were clearly a pair - with the partner apparently acting as lookout!  And then they flew off together across the harbour towards the ship