What's a Fiord?

In New Zealand, I've seen many advertisements for their fiords (spelled fjords in other countries). Click on the word fiord to hear how it's pronounced. This made me curious. I wondered what a fiord would be like. The dictionary says that a fiord is a long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between steep slopes. What would a fiord look like? How do you get inside a fiord? What would it feel like? I had to find out!

We packed the car and headed toward the southwest part of New Zealand. On the map we could see the fiords. They looked as though a giant had spread his fingers wide and then pushed in the land along the coast. Once the fingers were removed, the ocean then filled in the remaining holes. That got me wondering how the fiords were really made. Researching, I discovered that these fiords were made when large sheets of ice, called glaciers, slid slowly toward the ocean over millions of years and carved out the land. The valleys they created near the coast were filled in by the ocean so they are now called fiords. These fiords have been here for over 13,000 years!

The driving time to the fiords was about eight hours, but we stopped in towns along the way to spend the night and to explore. We came across this sign and phone booth on the way. Click on the photo to read the words on the sign. Do you see the distances? They're in kilometers. Did you notice the New Zealand flag?

We visited two fiords, Doubtful and Milford. The first one was named Doubtful because the English explorer who discovered it was doubtful that his sailing ship could sail up it from the ocean. He didn't think there would be enough wind to fill the sails and keep the boat moving, so he just named it and continued to explore the coast of New Zealand. He never knew the beautiful sights he missed!

To get to Doubtful from the land side, we had to take a boat across the large lake you see in this photo, and then board a bus to take us down a private road to the water's edge. While on the bus, we could see the fiord in the distance.

Here is a picture of Doubtful. Doesn't it look exciting and mysterious?! Just looking at the picture makes me want to go back there again! You can tell we're near the top of the mountain when I took the photo. If you look closely, you can see the road far down near the fiord. We still had to get all the way down there! Remember that the dictionary said that a fiord is between steep slopes? It's right!

At long last, we boarded the ship and found our cabin. A few minutes later, the ship began its journey up the fiord, out toward the Pacific Ocean. Everyone ran out on deck to see the sights! As you can see from the photo, it was a grey day, with a drizzling rain off and on, making the area seem almost magical. This is often the weather in these fiords. That's what makes the hillsides green, so thickly covered with plants that you can't even see the ground!

After a several hours, we reached the ocean and the boat began heaving back and forth in the rough waves. If we had kept going, we would have reached Australia. However, since this was to be just a two-day trip, the captain turned the boat around and sailed far enough back into the fiord that the water was again calm and we could anchor for the night.

As you can see, some of us went kayaking before dinner. It was an awesome feeling to be in such a little boat at the base of those tall mountains. It was so quiet and peaceful in the fiord. The only sounds I heard came from the birds, and the people in our group. There were no other boats, no automobile noises, none of the regular sounds one hears in a city. They were replaced by singing birds, splashing paddles, and friendly laughter. I knew I would remember this trip for a long time to come.

After a delicious dinner prepared by the chef on the ship, we were entertained with a slide show by one of the ship's crew. She showed us pictures of the plants and animals in the fiords, and imitated the sounds of the birds so we would know what to listen for that night and the next morning.

She was right. On our nighttime stroll around the deck of the ship, we could here the squeaky sounds of the kiwi birds foraging for food on the mountainsides. In the morning, the first sound, loud and clear, was the bell bird, sounding very much like the chimes of a bell.

After a hearty breakfast for all, the captain set sail, reaching the dock around 10:00 am. Then it was back on the bus to travel up and over the mountain, and then on the boat to cross the lake back to town. It had been a beautiful trip, filled with interesting information, new sights and new sounds. The best part was knowing that we would get to see another fiord, Milford, in a couple of days.

Here are some photos from the Milford fiord. This was also a beautiful trip, with the mountains even higher, and more magnificent than at Doubtful. We learned that every fiord is different, and that if you ever have an opportunity to travel inside a fiord, go for it! You will be amazed by what you see and hear!