When I was traveling through Australia. My parents wanted to visit me but instead of seeing each other in Australia we decided to meet up in New Zealand! New Zealand was high on my list of places to visit so when my parents agreed I was super excited and started to plan our road trip.
My parents came over for three weeks and it was my job to plan those three weeks! After a lot of thinking and planning we decided to do explore one week on the Northern Island and two weeks on the Sound Island. And I have to say this wasn’t enough! But is it ever? There are still so many places I want to see over there!
One of the stops on the South Island was Milford Sound . A place I always wanted to visit!
Getting there
After our first week on the Northern Island. We flew into Queenstown and drove to Te Anau were we stayed the night because it’s almost a 4-hour drive from Queenstown and only 1 hour and 50 minutes from Te Anau. The drive to and from Milford Sound is long and because it’s a death end you have to drive the whole way back, which takes forever but the views are breathtaking. So you really don’t want to spend at least 8 hours in the car when you have so little time.
We arrived in Te Anau in the evening and had some amazing dinner at this Italian place in the little town.
Sorry I forgot the name.
That evening I also booked our Milford Sound scenic cruise at Real Journeys.
There are a lot of different cruises, companies and even flights but price wise I liked this one the best. I couldn’t do it sooner because we weren’t sure when and what time we would arrive.
You have to book a time as well, so book on time!
I would also recommend filling up your car with gas in Te Anua and get some drinks and snacks before you leave because if I am correct the next gas station is at Milford Sound and this can be a bit more expensive.
Milford Sound
When we arrived at Milford sound we had to check in and got a card we had to give back while boarding the boat. They also take a picture of you that you can buy after the cruise. I am not a fan when they do that, so touristy in my opinion, so we didn’t buy it.
During the cruise they talked about Milford Sound. They told us we were very lucky with the weather because 90% of the time it’s raining over there! I had no idea but lot of people did, haha. Apparently my grandfather has been to Milford Sound 3 times and every time it was raining. So I was very happy it didn’t when we were there!
While on the boat we saw some seals and while we were at sea we saw some small whales but unfortunately they were to far away to make nice pictures. There are also a couple of waterfalls and of course they tried to get as close as possible to the waterfalls. Where you would get soaking wet!
The cruise took about 1 hour and 40 minutes. I personally think that was enough time.
Waterfall
Waterfall up close.
Another close up of the waterfalls
Conclusion
Milford Sound is beautiful and we were so lucky with the amazing weather that day. Even though I am very happy I did it, I think I expected a bit more of it. Can’t really pinpoint what I would have expected more about it but I had a feeling I was missing something. But hey that’s my opinion. 😉
I’d love to visit Milford Sound one day, it looks incredible! Lucky it didn’t rain when you were there either, perfect! I don’t like when they take photos either, I always decline, I prefer my own camera.
Newzealand indeed looks like a fairytale in all the pictures. So nice that your parents could come to a different country and you had this family trip. I understand you expecting a little more and being honest about it. But I am totally in love with Milford’s landscape looking at your pictures
That’s a cool plan to meet parents! My friend has moved to NZ and his parents recently visited him and couldn’t stop admiring how gorgeous the country is.
Yes, I’ve heard about Southern Islands being a nature’s trove! I’m yet to head to NZ.
Those seals on the rocks look adorable!
Oh! What a coincidence. My best friends and I normally see each other at least once a year and we practically live on 3 different continents. For this year, we’re actually planning to visit NZ. Thank you for these tips on what to see and visit. You just made me so excited about our upcoming trip. Thank you for sharing.
What a spectacularly beautiful journey! We had the opportunity to visit this area several years ago and your beautiful photos are bringing back such wonderful memories. Thank you!!
The waterfall looks magical and gorgeous! Have you tried swimming in this place? Where is your next destination?
Milford Sound is like a dream. The breathtaking photos even make me book my tickets immediately. You had such lovely time and also got lucky with weather. Thanks for the detailed post. I am book-marking it.
New Zealand is literally my husband’s number 1 dream destination and he always talks about Milford. The waterfalls, the mountains, the views. It looks gorgeous!!! And I love the idea of doing a cruise!
Wow, amazing photos! I Would like to visit there one day!