Mayhem at Milford Sound

“PLUNK!”

“What was that?”

“That was my camera!”

“That’s that then.”

This small exchange kicked off a few hours of sulking in torrential rain. My camera, specifically purchased for this trip, had fallen out of my pocket and into the bottom of Milford Sound. How? I’m not entirely sure, but it was definitely gone.

I awoke that morning with an unusual level of unwillingness – it was the first time in New Zealand that I didn’t want to do what I had planned. Fighting the warm, toasty bed, I fixed my lunch, got dressed, and waited to be picked up. My plan was to kayak Milford Sound, see some waterfalls, and then check the last of the big NZ sights off.

One major hindrance: the biggest rainfall in 10 years.

I think it was hearing the guide’s astonishment and awe of the quickly rising water and rushing rapids that made me realize I was witnessing something special. So I tried my best to capture every moment. On that memory card, there were great shots of the river almost hitting the road. Or of a staff member on a cruise boat rushing out to take his own pictures of the waterfalls. Not to mention the shots where the wind and water was so strong that it looked like the waterfall was going up rather than down.

I can’t share them with anyone, but the memory lives vividly in my mind. Perhaps that’s what was intended. I suppose it doesn’t matter. We didn’t end up kayaking that day. No way, no how were kayaks entering the water when even big cruise ships were staying docked. We were this close to spending the night on board the cruises because the roads were closed. That would have been the most fascinating thing of all. Luckily, the roads were opened long enough to escape Milford Sound. I made it back to my hotel sans camera and soaked cold to the bone. I wanted to cry over my loss, but the tears never came. In the end, I couldn’t complain. I’d gotten what I wanted: a unique, amazing experience. You’ll just have to trust me, the water was going up to the sky.