Milford Sound/Piopiotahi, New Zealand

Milford Sound was one of the places we really wanted to see when we booked our flight here. We knew it would take awhile to get there, since it is so remote. It turned out to be an amazing journey, and, hopefully, you’ll enjoy visiting as much as we did.

“Milford Sound is a fiord in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island within Fiordland National Park…It has been judged the world’s top travel destination in an international survey (the 2008 Travelers’ Choice Destinations Awards by TripAdvisor) and is acclaimed as New Zealand’s most famous tourist destination. Rudyard Kipling called it the eighth Wonder of the World.” – Wikipedia

“By road, Milford Sound is 291 km (181 mi) from Queenstown and 278 km (173 mi) from Invercargill (about four hours’ drive), with most of the tour buses to the sound departing from Queenstown. Some tourists also arrive from the smaller tourism centre of Te Anau, 121 km (75 mi) away.” – Wikipedia

“The long distance to the sound means that tourist operators from Queenstown all depart very early in the day, arriving back only late in the evening. This ensures that most tourists visit Milford Sound within a few hours around midday, leading to congestion on the roads and at the tourist facilities during the main season. The peak-time demand is also why a large number of tour boats are active in the sound at much the same time.” – Wikipedia

Joel and I stayed in Te Anau for a few days and we drove out to take a tour of the sound early one morning, trying to avoid the crowds. The drive took a bit less than two hours.

The views along the road between Te Anau and Milford Sound / Piopiotahi, like most places on the South Island, are fantastic. Here are some of the pictures we took from the car along the way.

As you get closer be prepared for a wait to enter a long tunnel. The Homer tunnel is a 1.2km-long (0.75 miles) tunnel through solid rock. We read that before the tunnel opened in 1954, after 19 years of construction, there was no road access to Milford Sound. And, it was carved by hand!

“Although the Homer Tunnel is wide enough for a bus and a small vehicle to pass each other, traffic lights operate during the busy summer months to keep it safe.” – Milford Sound Travel Information

Have your camera ready as you come out of the Homer tunnel into Cleddau Valley, the views just keep getting better.

If you drive your own car or a camper van to Milford Sound / Piopiotahi there is both free and paid parking. The paid parking is about a 10 minute walk, while the free parking is about 25 minutes away from the ferry terminal.

If you take a tour bus you will not have to walk very far for your cruise.

Beware if you walk or stand around outside the ferry terminal, because there are these wonderful little creatures called Te Namu (also called sandflies or black flies). Why should you beware of them, you ask? Because they bite! And it hurts!

“Only the female bites – Females need protein to produce eggs. They obtain this from the blood of anlmals, including humans, The Insect injects an anticoagulant into the victim’s bloodstream to keep the blood flowing; it is this that causes Itchiness and localised swelling.” – Department of Conservation

Inside the ferry terminal are some pictures of people visiting Milford Sound Piopiotahi in the past. Based on this first picture, it seems the sandflies have been around for a long time.

“Milford Sound / Piopiotahi is one of roughly 90 places to have been given a dual name as part of a 1998 Treaty of Waitangi settlement with Ngāi Tahu, recognising the significance of the fiord to both Māori and Pākehā New Zealanders. This name consists of both the Māori name and the former European name used together as a single name, instead of as interchangeable alternate names.” – Wikipedia

While our boat might seem small in this picture, it was actually two stories tall, with seating for up to 75 people. The larger boats could seat over 200. We opted for a smaller boat after reading that it offers a more intimate and personal experience, and allows for closer wildlife viewing. That was definitely our experience. We spent time talking to both the captain and first mate. They pointed out several places along the sound that we would have missed otherwise. However, the larger boats can accommodate larger groups and offer amenities like on-board dining and commentary in multiple languages. You can’t go wrong either way.

“Milford Sound sports two permanent waterfalls, Lady Bowen Falls and Stirling Falls. After heavy rain temporary waterfalls can be seen running down the steep sided rock faces that line the fiord. They are fed by rainwater-drenched moss and will last a few days at most once the rain stops.” – Wikipedia

“As a fiord, Milford Sound was formed by a process of glaciation over millions of years. Milford Sound runs 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) inland from the Tasman Sea at Dale Point —the mouth of the fiord—and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) or more on either side.” – Wikipedia

Once our tour began we took so many pictures of the beautiful area on this foggy morning. Here are a few –

Another way to explore Milford Sound / Piopiotahi is by kayak. We considered taking a kayak tour but the larger ferries offered coffee and cookies. Also, the kayak tours take about 3 hours, while the ferry tour takes about 90 minutes – 2 hours. Plus, did I mention coffee and cookies?

A few more pictures of this incredible place.

Once we were back in port we saw this noisy bird. We later learned it is called an oystercatcher. Here is a link to some information about it and a recording of the sound it makes.

On the way back to Te Anau we made a couple more stops. Our first stop was to see Mt Tütoko. After that we stopped at Mirror Lakes and took a short 5 minute walk from the parking lot to see them.

This peaceful stop was the perfect way to end our day at Milford Sound / Piopiotahi.