New Zealand, National Parks, ExperiencesElizabeth AndersonMilford Sound, cruise, New Zealand, fiord, Fiordland, rain, waterfall, penguin, seal, South Island, Fiordland National Park, National Park

Milford Sound

New Zealand, National Parks, ExperiencesElizabeth AndersonMilford Sound, cruise, New Zealand, fiord, Fiordland, rain, waterfall, penguin, seal, South Island, Fiordland National Park, National Park
Milford Sound

Milford Sound. Would a trip to New Zealand be complete without it?

If you were to stop the average traveler on the street in Queenstown, you’d find that most everyone you chat with is either on their way back from, or on their way to Milford Sound. As something that comes up on all sorts of “must-do in New Zealand” lists, Milford Sound sure knows how to attract a crowd. We’re talking about close to one million visitors a year, in a country with a population of less than four and a half million. And you know what? It doesn’t disappoint.

From where we live, the trip to Milford sound involves a couple hour drive to Te Anau, then another couple hours on the dead-end road to Milford Sound. There are only two lanes, and past Te Anau there are no petrol stations or exits, save for a few pull-offs and a couple hiking trailheads. The drive is filled with spectacular scenery. You’ll want to pull over often for photos. The road is also filled with tour buses, campervans, and tourists who “never drive at home” but just had to rent a car for their trip here. The traffic, winding roads, historic one-way Homer tunnel, and mischevious Kea will keep you entertained on the journey.

Arriving in Milford Sound, you won’t find much beyond a visitor center and a wharf. Most folks take a half-day cruise through the fiord. The boats all get up close and personal with the waterfalls flowing off the steep mountains, venture out to the sea in search of seals, and hopefully have a lucky spotting of penguins.

In the fiord, it’s actually pretty ideal to have a day of rain, or visit right after one. You may want a glorious sunny day here, but if you get lucky enough to have one there isn’t much in the way off waterfalls. Most of the falls here only appear during or after rain, as the water has nowhere to hang out on the mountains.

After our visit, we stopped along the road to wander around The Chasm. A short walk along the Cleddau River yielded some incredible views of waterfalls and sculpted canyon rock from all the rain in the Fiordlands.