Last updated on January 8, 2024
When I was first drafting an itinerary for New Zealand, I added Milford Sound to the list because I thought it looked beautiful. However, since I am not into adventure activities, I thought that I should skip Queenstown, and Milford Sound was a casualty of that change.
But then, my travel partner, C, said that she wanted to go to Queenstown. We decided to stay there for two nights, which put Milford Sound back on the list.
How Long Can You Go
At the beginning of October, a friend, A, and I went on a coworking trip to Sicily (post still in draft). I did day trips to Siracusa and Palermo. Plus, we did another day trip scheduled to Stromboli and somewhere else. Those three trips were very long and by the end of the third one, I decided not to do such long days anymore unless I had no other option.
So when I was planning the itinerary for New Zealand, Milford Sound was top of the list of places to visit. However, being short of time, I ended up removing it from the first draft along with Queenstown because I’m not an adventure travelled. Then my travel buddy, C. Said she wanted to go to Queenstown.
I debated a day trip to Milford Sound. Going both ways by bus was a couple of hundred dollars or more, while both ways by air started around 500, with a choice of plane or helicopter. The most expensive option, which I thought best for sightseeing, is to go by road one way and air the other.
Remember the first paragraph? I knew for sure I wasn’t going to take the bus both ways but wasn’t sure I wanted to spend the money to fly. (This epic trip is costing me a lot of money already without all the tours.
C was going to hike the Remarkables but I didn’t think my knees were recovered enough from all the stairs earlier in this trip. I’m not sure my heart and lungs were up to the hike either. And I really wanted to go to Milford Sound. I spent way too long on this decision. There was never any real doubt that I would do it. All my procrastination accomplished was adding more work since my first choice option was sold out once I went back to book it.
Bus to Milford Sound
The bus picked me up about a 5-min walk from my hotel at 7:45. We drove about an hour before the first toilet break. The first part of the ride gives great views of the southern Alps. They are not as tall as the European Alps but longer than all of them combined.
We went past many dairy and sheep farms, as well as deer farms before reaching Te Anau. We would have spent a night here if we’d driven to Milford Sound. I wanted to take some pictures around the lake but I ended up spending all of the 25 min stop waiting for a coffee and sandwich at Lakefront Cafe. I’m not sure why it took so long since the sandwich was already prepared; I got the coffee within 5 mins.
Next, we continued driving along Lake Te Anau before stopping for a beautiful Mountain View. There were many other people with the same idea.
We drove past and through Beech forests (silver and red) and into Fiordland National Park. Then we stopped at Mirror Lakes for some more beautiful views.
Around 11:45, we had another washroom break before continuing through the forest. we passed some beautiful fields of lupine but I wasn’t fast enough to capture any photos. But we did stop for some more Mountain Views.
We drove past Lake Gunn and the spectacular Hollyford River and waterfall. Our next stop gave me a chance to get close to a kea. There are lots of temporary waterfalls along the drive as well.
Milford Aound is actually a fiord because it was carved by a glacier rather than a river. It was named by a Welsh sealer after his hometown of Milford Haven. The Dutch explorer who named NZ mapped the other 13 fiords but he missed Milford Sound as did the first European settler, Cook.
Once we arrived in Milford Sound, we had about 20 minutes to wait before boarding the boat. It was a Mitre Peaks boat for a 2-hr tour starting at 13:30. It was beautiful. The views of the mountain and lake were stunning and we had the bonus of seeing some dolphins swimming beside us. The guide had mentioned the possibility but it’s never guaranteed. We also saw some seals sunning themselves on some rocks.
Once we got back to shore, it was time for my flight. I did not want to do a 3+ hours drive back to Queenstown. But I was also a bit worried about the 40-min flight in a small plane, because of possible turbulence. I have to admit that there was turbulence and I was counting down the time for the flight to be over. Thankfully, the views were beautiful and impressive. There was a boy from South Africa sitting beside me; I’d been chatting with him and his mom earlier. We both shared some nervous smiles every time the plane lurched. It helped that the pilot (Libby) chatted about the sights, acting as a tour guide throughout. Still, I must concede that I don’t love propeller planes. Tomorrow, I’ll tell you how the helicopter tour in Mt. Cook compares!
Be First to Comment