Discover Milford Sound: Day 7 of Your New Zealand South Island Adventure

Depart from Te Anau to Milford Sound at 8 AM, reserving 2 hours for the 117 km journey, planning to arrive at the free parking lot by 10 AM. Booked tickets for the Monarch cruise at 11 AM in advance on Ctrip (did not book the buffet as it was quite ordinary, brought our own food), need to arrive at the service center 20 minutes early to exchange tickets.

Walking from the free parking lot to the service center is about 1.5 km and takes 15-20 minutes, passing by a paid parking lot along the way. You can walk along the lake all the way to the Milford Sound service center.
📍Navigation location for free parking: Deepwater Basin Parking & Bus
📍Navigation location for paid parking: Milford Sound Public Carpark
The scenery along Highway 94 🛣️ is beautiful.

Spend 10 minutes walking to Mirror Lake for photos📸[Sly Grin]. Upon reaching the Homer Tunnel entrance, due to one-way traffic, there is a countdown signal light, allowing passage on one side before the other. After the tunnel, the road winds down, with majestic and steep valleys on both sides. Park the car at the free parking lot, and across the road, there is a sign pointing to the visitor center.

Follow the straight path through the woods without any forks, passing by the airport and the paid parking lot, and head towards the lake to reach the service center.
Inside the hall, there are many counters for different boat companies. Find the company you booked with; we booked the Monarch, which is operated by Realnz, and their black logo is very noticeable.

Exchange the electronic order for two boarding cards, and the staff will tell you which dock to board. After using the restroom, you can go to the dock to queue up for boarding.
It’s said that the fjord has over 270 rainy days a year, but we were lucky to have a sunny day [Laughing and Crying]. The water flow from the mountains on both sides was not strong, so we didn’t see the apocalyptic view [Blushing].

The entire cruise lasted less than 2 hours, sailing along the fjord to the South Pacific outlet and then returning. But a sunny day has its own beauty, with peaks reaching into the clouds and waterfalls cascading down steep cliffs, and lazy seals basking in the sun on the rocks, making for a very relaxing and comfortable experience.

If you want to see an apocalyptic scene, check the weather forecast in advance and be prepared. Bring raincoats and be ready for a bumpy ride [Sly Grin].
The fjord tour ends at 1 PM, and then drive back to Queenstown 🚗.
Tips: The one-way trip from Queenstown to the fjord is 285 km and takes three hours.

If time allows, stay overnight in Te Anau, a very beautiful town where you can also see the glowworm caves. Finishing the tour in the afternoon and driving back to Queenstown for dinner is just right [Big Laugh].
On Highway 94, there is no cell phone signal most of the time 📶, so download offline maps in advance.

If you’re unable to install Google Maps, I highly recommend downloading Tantuh Map. Before you set off, make sure to pre-download the New Zealand map and add all the places you plan to visit to your favorites. This way, you’ll always have a reliable guide at your fingertips, no matter where your adventures take you [Thumbs Up]!