Sail Out On Milford Sound
Ticked off in March 2010
Sheer cliffs, waterfalls dropping out of the clouds and fur seals on the rocks as you sail toward the Tasman Sea.
The adventure
The road to Milford Sound is half the adventure. It winds through beech forest and mirror lakes, climbs into an amphitheatre of granite peaks and plunges through the rough-hewn Homer Tunnel before dropping steeply to the water. Then the fiord opens out: walls of rock rising straight out of dark water, with Mitre Peak soaring almost 1,700 metres above you.
Out on the boat, the scale is hard to take in. Waterfalls hundreds of metres high spill from hanging valleys, and the skipper noses the bow right under Stirling Falls so the spray soaks the deck. Fur seals laze on the rocks, bottlenose dolphins sometimes surf the wake, and if it has been raining, the cliffs come alive with hundreds of temporary waterfalls, which makes a wet day here one of the best.
Why it’s epic
- Mitre Peak, rising about 1,692 metres straight from the water.
- Stirling Falls and Lady Bowen Falls, both well over 100 metres high.
- New Zealand fur seals, bottlenose dolphins and, in season, Fiordland crested penguins.
- Part of Fiordland National Park and the Te Wāhipounamu World Heritage Area.
What it is
Milford Sound is a fiord lined with cliffs and waterfalls, including Mitre Peak rising almost 1,700 metres.
How to do it
Drive or take a coach from Te Anau or Queenstown, then a boat cruise or kayak. Scenic flights are also an option.
Top tip
Allow plenty of time for the drive along the Milford Road, as there are many stops along the way.
Need to know
- The drive from Queenstown takes around four hours each way, so staying in Te Anau makes the day much easier.
- There's no fuel at Milford Sound, so fill up in Te Anau, and the road can close in winter for avalanches or need snow chains.
- UK visitors need an NZeTA before travelling to New Zealand.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- £2,000 to £5,000 per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- 1 day
- Best time to go
- All year (rain makes the waterfalls even better)
- Fly into
- ZQN airport
The cruise itself is modest, but flights to New Zealand and Queenstown accommodation push this into the thousands.
Do it yourself
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My experience
Ticked off, but the full story is still to be written up.
Over to you
Is “Sail Out On Milford Sound” on your bucket list, or have you already done it? Tell me in the comments, and if you've got a question about it, ask away and I'll answer.