Fiordland National Park & Milford Sound Boat Tour (day 2 in Queenstown, day 29 overall)

On our second day in Queenstown area we had arranged for an all day tour to Fiordland National Park, including a boat tour of Milford Sound. This tour was definitely one of the highlights of our entire trip. We could have driven to these adventures but as it would have involved a very long day driving, including some winding and narrow roads, with a lot of tour bus traffic, we decided to take a combination bus and boat tour to enjoy the scenery and feel less under schedule pressure. There are many different companies and options for tours to Fiordland and Milford Sound. We chose Real NZ. They have various pick up points in and near Queenstown for where the bus picks you up and the drive starts. We were picked up at the Frankton bus terminal, about 10mins From our vrbo. The pick up time was at 6:45am, before sunrise! It is to allow for the drive to Milford Sound, allowing for stops for snacks, bathroom breaks, photo stops and to get there for the 1:00pm boat tour of Milford Sound on the Milford Haven. It was cool in the morning for the pick up time. The day warmed up and got sunny but Milford Sound is known for being misty, rainy and cool, especially where the boat reaches the outlet to the Tasman Sea. So we dressed warm in layers to ensure we were prepared for any weather. The drive to Milford Sound is described by Real NZ as “one of the finest alpine drives in the world. The scenery is exceptional, ranging from broad grassy flats, dense rainforests, and towering mountains to glacial lakes and alpine herb fields.” And it fully lives up to this description and does not disappoint. The bus style, with all side window and a roof of glass, allowed for great viewing. Milford Sound itself is described by some as the eighth wonder of the world. Not sure about that as the fiords in NL and Norway might challenge that notion but it was spectacular, however, equally so was the drive to Milford Sound. It was amazing as well. The bus driver was also great and he did lots of commentary, from giving tidbits of New Zealand and local history, to talking about the wildlife and geography of the area. Along the drive we stopped at the quaint lakeside town of Te Anau.

After the thrilling drive we arrived at Milford Sound in time to have our owns snacks before we boarded the boat. The infrastructure in Milford Sound is impressive as they have a fantastic Visitor Centre building, an airport and dock for a number of boats that bring people on Milford Sound cruises. You can get excursions that allow overnight on the water. Our tour was for a cruise of about 2 hours. We spent the entire time on the top deck taking in the views. There was a lower deck with food and bar service. The weather was cool but dry for our time on the cruise.

Milford Sound does have a striking similar look to Western Brook Pond in Gros Morne National Park in NL. Both are Fiords. The cliffs, peaks and waterfalls are similar, though the highest peak in Western Brook is about 600m vs. the highest in Milford Sound of about 1,600m

The drive back had less stops but was again beautiful, especially as we arrived back in Queenstown area a little before sunset. It was about 12.5 hours from pickup to drop off.

Here are some pictures and video:

The tour started with sunrise on the bus!