Morning mood in Fiordland, New Zealand by Rini Kools

Mountains, low sun and low-hanging clouds create a special atmosphere in a distinctive part of Fiordland in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island.
Fiordland's landscape is characterised by deep fiords along the coast and U-shaped valleys carved by glaciers. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lakes, and its steep, glacier-carved and now ocean-flooded western valleys. The name "Fiordland" derives from the New Zealand English spelling of the Scandinavian word for steep glacial valleys, "fjord". Fiordland contains by far the greatest extent of unmodified vegetation in New Zealand and significant populations of endemic plants and threatened animals, in some cases the only remaining wild populations.
This part of New Zealand has a very wet climate with annual average of 200 rainy days and annual rainfall varying from 1,200 millimetres (47 in) in Te Anau to 8,000 millimetres (310 in) in Milford Sound. The prevailing westerly winds blow moist air from the Tasman Sea onto the mountains, resulting in high amounts of precipitation as the air rises and cools down. However, during our stay we were able to enjoy cloudless skies and pleasant temperatures.