Milford Sound was hands-down our favorite stop in this entire trip so full of amazing experiences. It’s out of the way, but I would highly recommend to anyone going to the South Island to really try to make it to Milford.
We spent the night after glacier day in Queenstown. On a map, Milford doesn’t look all that far away from Queenstown. However, there’s a mountain range standing between the two and not many roads, so basically you have to go all the way around which takes about 5 hours. If you want to avoid this drive, there are tours out of Queenstown that will take you all the way to Milford Sound and can be packaged with excursions on the sound, but we ended up being really happy we opted to drive ourselves.
Te Anau is kind of like the gateway town to Fiorland National Park, which covers the southwest corner of the island. We stopped in at the I-sight there and they helped us book our tours in the area and even helped us book our accommodations in Milford Sound. So, while we still had another couple of hours to drive between Te Anau and Milford, everything was set and in place.
Whereas the scenery up to Te Anau consists mostly of sheep, the drive from Te Anau to Milford is lovely and there are lots of little stops to be made that are just beautiful that we wouldn’t have seen on a tour. (You can pick up maps at the info sites and they’re also pretty well marked along the road.)
Then we got to Milford. Milford Sound is actually a fiord, which means that it was carved out by a glacier, and the results are extremely dramatic rock walls and waterfalls. We booked a five-hour, twilight kayak tour on the sound and the stars really aligned for here to create just about as perfect an experience we could have had. Seeing this from the level of a kayak while basically sitting on the water is simply awe-inspiring. The fiord walls tower over you and you can’t help but bowled over by their enormity.
This was all accentuated by the perfect weather we got. Usually, this part of the country gets a lot of rain, which creates lots of little waterfalls that run down the cliff walls. It didn’t rain the day we were there, but it had rained the day before, so we got all the benefit of the waterfalls without having to deal with soggy conditions. In addition, being on the sound in the evening was fantastic because we got to see it all different types of light – from super bright and crisp in the afternoon, to the golden tones of sunset.
As if all of this wasn’t enough, by the time we got out on the water at around five in the afternoon most of the big tour boats had docked and we were the only ones to book that kayak tour that day; so it was pretty much just Greg, me, and our tour guide on the sound. To have this entire sound all to ourselves in such perfect conditions was simply magical.
Notice the fab outfits we were given for our kayaking adventure.
The tour begins with a boat trip. Everything is loaded up and we were ferried out on the sound by boat. Then we hopped in our kayaks and started paddle back in from there, as our guide lead the way. One of the very first stops was seal colony. In a kayak, you’re able to get really close. Greg and I pretty much ran our kayak up on the base of their rock.
The waterfalls provide the biggest rush. Sterling Falls was the first of the two major waterfalls we came up to. As we passed by, our guide stopped turned us around and told us aim the kayak at the falls and ride it in close to feel the spray. Greg understood that we were supposed to go all the way in. This thing is as tall as a skyscraper. Can you imagine what the pressure of water falling from the height would have felt like from directly underneath?! As it was, the spray is ice-cold and hits you the face like wet needles. I know. I was at the front of the kayak and got its full force as Greg plowed forward. Eventually, I had to yell at him over the roar of the crashing water to turn around. We got pretty close though, and it was extremely exhilarating. Luckily, our guide was nice enough to document the whole thing.
The rest of our kayaking trip was pretty calm though --with one exception. An overly protective momma seagull somehow felt threatened by our presence . . . out in the middle of the water . . . nowhere near her nest . . . and she kept circling around us. She even took a couple of dives at our guide. I have to admit, I was really glad she didn’t swoop at me. I’ve had bad luck with protective momma birds in the past, and they definitely make me nervous. After we got past her though, it was beautiful, peaceful cruising all the way back in.
We always tell people that if you ever have the chance to visit a fiord, take it. Fiords really are places where Mother Nature will just knock your socks off with her power. It is completely humbling. The first time I had a chance to see one was in the Misty Fiords in Alaska, and I got teary-eyed I was overwhelmed by the beauty. This second experience was just as beautiful, and felt even more personal. Truly, one of the best experiences of my life.
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