A Sense of Scale

Now I’ve started the Milford Sound photos I may as well carry on. It’s a hard choice picking them, though, as the two occasions I’ve visited the sound have resulted in more photos being taken than any other time in my life. The other day I posted a photo that encompassed the beauty of the sound, which is not hard to do. What is more challenging is presenting a picture that attempts to convey the massive scale of Milford Sound. By that I mean the sheer insignificance of humans in the context of their surroundings. This photo, I think, comes as close as it’s possible to get. It is only when you are on the water that the scale of the cliffs — which rise vertically from the depths — becomes apparent. Put what is, in fact,  a large tour boat next the towering walls of granite, and you have some idea of how small and puny we people really are. The photo below also gives a pretty good idea of the absolute magnificence of this area. No wonder they had to build a road to reach it, an incredible story all in itself. Captain Cook, on his circumnavigation of New Zealand, completely missed the ocean entrance to Milford Sound. I wonder what he would have written had he been fortunate enough to find it.