Why a Day Trip to Milford Sound Was on Our List

Milford Sound (Piopiotahi) is a 22-kilometer long fiord that lies deep within Fiordland National Park in the southwest of South Island in New Zealand. It is one of New Zealand's most popular and most visited tourist attractions due to its breathtaking landscape.

Sleepy early birds were quiet in the car. It was Day 22 and we woke up at 4:45 AM. Brrr... I hugged my grey coat. It was still dark when we left the camping holiday park.

Join us on our journey to Milford Sound by hitting the play button below:

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Getting to Milford Sound

According to Google Maps, it takes less than 1.5 hours to get there. However, based on our experience, it took us 2 hours to drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound Pier due to unpredictable weather and winding roads.

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Fiordland National Park remains to be the least explored part of New Zealand since it was only accessible by water for many centuries until Mackinnon Pass was discovered in 1888. Doubtful and Milford Sounds are 2 glacier-formed fiords, however remote, draw visitors from many parts of the world.

The views outside the car window on State Highway 94 were incredible, in a magical awe-inspiring way despite the covered sky.  It was all green and grey.

Winding mountain roads lined by lush forests ran on New Zealand State Highway 94. We had an extraordinary experience as we passed inside the Homer Tunnel, a 1.2-kilometer tunnel that links Te Anau to Milford Sound through the Darran Mountain Range.

For those who want to avoid driving on the road, there are Milford Sound Helicopter or Fixed-wing plane Scenic Flights.

If it weren't for our boat schedule, I would have stopped to admire the landscape for much longer. At least, we made it to our Jucy Boat Cruise on time. 

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Milford Sound Cruise

Imagine dramatic rainforests, towering waterfalls, high mountain peaks, rich wildlife, and dark deep waters. Hence, it was once called the 8th Wonder of the World according to Rupyard Kipling.

The best way to experience all of it is right on the water, in a Milford Sound Cruise onboard a catamaran.

We reached the dock early to ensure we had a parking space. Due to the limited car park spots, I was annoyed to find a vehicle carelessly and deliberately parked at the center, occupying 2 parking spaces. "How inconsiderate," we have all agreed as we walked past it. After 10 meters, I headed back. I couldn't help it, I wrote a note to the owner of the vehicle and stuck it under the windshield wipers.

Later, many passengers arrived and we waited for our boat departure at the covered boarding area of the port. It was bustling with anticipation, excitement, and a few prayers for good weather.

It was terribly cold. Please don't be fooled. We took off our jackets just for this photoshoot.

Due to the limited accommodations available in Milford Sound, the quiet and often wet village at the tip of the fiord, many tourists commonly stay in Queenstown or Te Anau. We chose the latter.

Expect to see Bowen Falls, Anita Bay, the impressive Mitre Peak, Elephant, and Stirling Falls.

During calm waters, you might be able to see New Zealand Fur Seals, Fiordland Crested Penguins, Dusky, and Bottlenose Dolphins.

Scuba diving is available here as well. I wasn't a diver yet when we went but it's interesting to note that below 10 meters are black corals that are unique to Milford Sound.

"Unique to Milford’s underwater world are sheer cliff faces that provide spectacular Fiord wall diving and a unique ecosystem of deep-water emergent black coral trees. The coral trees have a stunning white appearance over a jet-black skeleton and are normally only found in deep water trenches. Thanks to Milford's heavy rainfall making for a mix of fresh and saltwater on the surface and huge mountains casting their shadows over the waters, enough light is blocked to allow these beautiful coral trees to call Milford home." - Descend Dive Milford Sound

For non-divers, explore and learn more by visiting Milford Sound Discovery Centre and Underwater Observatory equipped with a large underwater viewing room below 10 meters sea level and watch the incredible marine life and black corals up close.

Here are more photos from the Boat Cruise:

Bottlenose dolphins

The 151- meter Stirling Falls

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Hiking in the Fiordlands

A four-day hike through the vast wilderness of the Milford Track is popular among serious hikers. Other world-famous long hikes that would take several days are Kepler Track and the Routeburn Track.

For day-trippers like ourselves, there are shorter trails such as Lake Gunn Nature Walk, Lake Marian, Key Summit Lookout, The Chasm Walk near the Homer Tunnel, Mirror Lakes, Milford Foreshore Walks, and Milford Lookout Track.

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Lake Gunn Nature Walk

We found ourselves in a seemingly magical forest covered with green moss. A 45-minute return hike at Cascade Creek Trail, Lake Gunn Nature Walk, part of Fiordland National Park. It was a great detour suggestion from our Milford Sound Jucy Boat Captain. It was definitely worth stopping for. @iamyohann wrote a separate blog post of our short walk, please do check it out.

Some may not understand why I take a lot of time lingering in a place taking photos. When I look through the lens, I am pulled to focus on the present and the beauty that is in front of me. Otherwise, my mind takes me somewhere else. The picture that I have taken freezes the moment into something that I can keep and glimpse at again in the future.

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My Takeaway

The first time I visited New Zealand was in 2007. It was a 2-week cross country backpacking trip by bus with @iamyohann. During that trip, we didn't have enough time to include Milford Sound in our itinerary. This is one of the main reasons why we had to make Milford Sound a definite part of our list.

The weather in Milford Sound drastically changed. It looked impressive and incredible despite the rain. We were not surprised why this World Heritage attraction was at the Top Traveler's Choice to Visit in New Zealand.

Personally, I would have loved to have stayed longer to explore more of the Fiordlands. I highly recommend it to those planning to explore the South Island.

Thank you for reading and for reaching this far. To be Continued...

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References:
Milford Sound Wikipedia
100% Pure New Zealand
Real Journeys: Milford Sound