Kayaking Milford Sound with Rosco's

Ah, ladies and gentlemen. It is very pleasing for me to tell you that I have finally, FINALLY! fulfilled my goal of kayaking with Rosco's for free while I am working at Milford Lodge (and right before my employment appraisal might I add ;) ).

Kayaking is undoubtedly the best way to experience the fjord because you are literally sitting in it, bobbing up and down on the waves. You can reach over your craft and touch the water, or drag your fingers along the baby muscle-covered rocks. As a tourist, booking a guided trip is the only way you can kayak Milford Sound. Rosco's is the company I recommend because their guides actually live in Milford so they are more intimately aquainted to not only the fjord itself, but also the happenings in the "town" (the naked tunnel run being a prime example). The trip I went on is called the "Twilighter Wind and Waves." The reason for the "wind and waves" portion of the title is because later in the day, the fjord becomes more wavy due to what we call a "day breeze." This breeze is fueled by the sun, but can sometimes be much more than a breeze depending on the weather. As a result, there is much more rocking, splashing, and getting wet on this trip than the same trip in the morning– the "Stirling Sunriser".

I must apologize for the lack of pictures. It is difficult to take lots of picture while kayaking. For one thing, you have your hands full paddling, but you also keep your camera in a dry bag. This makes it less accessible for those spur-of-the-moment photo opportunities.


The trip begins by boating over halfway out of the fjord past Stirling Falls, and then kayaking back to Deepwater Basin (where the kayak headquarters is located). We were blessed with beautiful weather with the wind and setting sun to our backs as we paddled toward Milford. Stirling falls doesn't look that big in the picture above until...


you get a better sense of scale with the cruise boat sailing under it. Stirling Falls is actually almost three times the height of Niagara Falls! We paddled right under it and got soaking wet from the ice cold water... twice!


This is what I looked like afterward– soaking wet and really happy :) Our kayak guide, Abby, has done the trip so many times that she knew exactly how to line up the perfect photo. Hello Facebook profile picture! Abby was in the stern, I at the bow, of our two-person Necky sea kayak.

One advantage to kayaking in the afternoon wind is that you get to go sailing. We propped up a tarp with our paddles, clumped our four kayaks together, and let the wind push us down the fjord (not pictured).


Then, we stopped for a snack and hot drinks on this beach. This is where we were nearly consumed by sandflies from our ears down to our toes. You can see Harrison Cove in the background, which is where the overnight cruises anchor and where the underwater observatory is.


Here I am with Abby, our kayak guide for the day. The setting sun provides beautiful, warm lighting for picture taking.


Nearly at the end of our trip, here we are passing Bowen Falls, which was very small due to the dry weather we had had for the past day or two. We were greeted by Aiden, an adventuresome Canadian, out kayaking on his own. By the time we got back, it was almost dark, and we were wet and cold. When I got home, I had one of the best hot showers ever.

The End