Milford Sound is a fjord. Uhm, not really helpful, right? Okay, a fjord is a long and narrow inlet with tall cliffs. And that's what you'll see when you visit Milford Sound in the south of New Zealand.
You can drive down to Milford Sound from Queenstown, if you want to, But my family and I decided to go with JUCY Tours. We chose the Coach-Cruise-Coach package (They also offer Fly-Cruise-Coach, but its crazy expensive). The regular rate is NZ$119/adult and NZ$75/Child (I know we got a discount on BookMe, but I forgot how much). Anyway, we were picked up by the JUCY bus at our place in Queenstown at 8 in the morning and then we proceeded to Fiordland National Park.
The trip was long. 4 hours, I think, with lots of stops. This is me with my daughter posing next to a big statue of a Takahe bird at Lake Te Anau. The Takahe is a blue-colored flightless bird native to New Zealand. I saw a real Takahe at Zealandia Bird Sanctuary in Wellington a few months back.
This is another stop at Monkey Creek where the tour guide told us that the spring water was clean to drink. So, I filled up my water bottle. I made sure no one was peeing or washing clothes upstream.
We went in November, which is Spring in the Southern Hemisphere, so most of the snow has melted. But the mountain peaks were still covered in white, and they were still nice to look at.
This is the Milford Visitors Centre and Boat Terminal. From the bus, we got on the Jucy Ferry. There are other boat options like Mitre Peak Cruises and Southern Discoveries.
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| Bowen Falls is one of two permanent waterfalls in the fiord, and is 160 meters tall. |
There are several decks in the ferry. Of course, we wanted to stay outside and enjoy the views. Never mind the strong winds and freezing air.
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| Mount Kimberley on the left. |
And those are the cliffs I was telling you about, which makes Milford Sound a fjord. I'm sorry, but these photos do not give them justice. The mountains are massive and very, very tall. Just look at how they make that ferry on the lower left look so tiny.
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| Stirling Falls |
You get to see giant waterfalls as well. Since it was already spring, we just saw a few. The tour guide told us during winter there are literally dozens of waterfalls along the fjord.
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| Harrison's Cove |
We sailed up to Dale Point, where the inlet meets the Tasman Sea. And then the ferry turned around and we went back to the harbour. Back on land, we transferred to our bus and headed home. Another 4 hour ride.
It's a pretty tiring trip, especially if you travel with kids. The coach-cruise-coach package is jam-packed and will take the entire day. If you want to take it easy, you can opt to drive there in the afternoon. Spend the night at one of the inns, and then take the morning cruise the next day. When you get back at noon, you can then drive home.
The views at Milford Sound are majestic. If you like nature, like I do, then this is a must-do, especially if you're already in the area. But if you seek action and adrenaline-pumping adventure, then this might not be an ideal activity for you, because it's purely sightseeing.
TIP: Food is expensive at Milford, so better to pack drinks, sandwiches, chips and sweets for the trip.
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| Map of Milford Sound. From the Jucy website. |
The views at Milford Sound are majestic. If you like nature, like I do, then this is a must-do, especially if you're already in the area. But if you seek action and adrenaline-pumping adventure, then this might not be an ideal activity for you, because it's purely sightseeing.
TIP: Food is expensive at Milford, so better to pack drinks, sandwiches, chips and sweets for the trip.
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