Milford Sound

The title really gave it away, but for this post, I’ll continue to talk and praise the natural beauties of New Zealand. For this trip, we camped out in Queenstown as I discussed in the previous post on Glenorchy. We were told by literally everyone that we must go to Milford Sound and spend a good portion of our day there.

We did just that and purchase a tour for Milford Sound in the last day before leaving for Auckland. As a student giving advise to another student, I need to tell you that while on holidays in Queenstown, you should set yourself a budget be willing to go out of the budget for certain things. For example, our trip to Milford Sound was the costliest item on our New Zealand trip, but I can confidently say that it was worth every single cent spent. There are a few different ways to get to the destination in which we opted for the option of the bus. The bus took about three to four hours to get there (one way) and the same to get back. The bus is the cheapest option and in my opinion the best option if you’re not too pressed for time. The bus ride my sound really long, but we had plenty to admire and see along the way. This price for this will vary depending on when and where you get your tickets, so ask around because that could save you some money in the end.

Our long day started early, very early. We were picked up at a hotel in Queenstown since the tour will pick up the travellers from different hotel spots. We were the first stop so we go the pick the best seats on the bus for a very long journey, awesome! After about 20 minutes picking up every passenger, we got out of Queenstown around 6:00am.

After driving for about two hours, we arrived at a small town. I can’t quite recall the name of the town but it was a quick stop for us to stretch, walk around and grab something to eat. Since it was super early, most shops and restaurants were still closed. Most people settled for a packaged sandwich from the supermarket, but as adventurous and curious as we were, we discovered a Pie Shop just by the entrance of town. We were starving and the smell of pies was just divine. We quickly grabbed a coffee and a hot pie and were on our way back to the bus in no time. The pie, absolutely delicious!

As we continued our bus ride, there were a few stops here and there for really good photo opportunities. There were so many of those “wow” moments. Oh, I forgot to mention, but the bus driver kept us entertained and energised the whole day. He was a local and has been living and breathing the glorious nature of the his town. He was very knowledgeable and would transfer that knowledge of his to us. There were so many interesting facts and details and it’s just amazing to hear it from a local himself.

Milford Sound is really something to admire. The place is rich in history dating back hundreds of years but the place is so well-kept that time has stood still. We took a boat ride through the waters and go out to the mouth in which we were exposed to water all the way until the horizon. The boat ride took just over an hour but and every second of it was enjoyable. We got to see amazing greens of nature as well as some cool sealife. If this doesn't excite you already, let me tell know of we got to see, up close. First, there was a small piece of land by the huge rock formations, in which a community of seals were enjoying themselves out in the sun! Our boat go really close to them - but we kept a safe distance away from them so do not worry - and we got to really appreciate them up close, and most importantly, in their natural habitat. They are very friendly and no strangers to human contact. Some of them were so playful that they even swam towards and got super close to our boat! What beauties. Oh, we did see something else too, that’s far better than going to a zoo or an aquarium: dolphins. Yes, not kidding, they were jumping all over the place! As we got further from our starting point, we spotted a few dolphins playing with our boat by doing what we find as the cutest thing they do. They greeted and welcome us with the jumping! At first, I thought that I had missed such a rare opportunity since my phone was not with me, but this happened many many more times! Just imagine them jumping in their own natural home, and with miles of sea in the background. Now that’s something that you can’t pay for in an aquarium or sea life parks. Not to mention, the breeze hitting the boat and seeing water and green mountains all around you is just a priceless experience - we were truly jealous of the locals that are accustomed to such greatness.

Like Glenorchy, I really can't put my appreciation of the beauty into words, so it’s best you just take this post for it and see from the pictures that I took. The landscape and photo opportunity you could get at Milford Sound is just unprecedented. This is the exact reason as to why I would recommend you to keep your camera and phone batteries full or at least have reserves. The long bus ride could get in the way and tempt you to listen to music, play games or watch videos on your phone. But whatever you do, I repeat, make sure you have sufficient battery left when you get to your destination. And just to bring this full circle, be sure to ask the reception of your hotel if they know specials for the Milford Sound trip. Otherwise, do go out and discover the options you have in town and be sure to sign up quick! Yes, I repeat, quick! But as for this voyage, the place really left be speechless. All I could say is that Milford Sound is a magical spot.

Oh and just one final note, I would advise that you stock up on food and snacks. Although we did make stops, there weren’t a lot of things to choose from. Since you’ll be spending your whole day there, you really need to prepare for meals and for snacks and drinks. There is a small market in town that you could stock up on, so I would strongly recommend that you get your food and drinks shopping done the day before. And if you want to conclude your day strong, be sure to check out what I had written about a bar recommendation on my previous post!

If you like the content of this post, or just want to check out some pictures that I take on my adventure, feel free to like and/or follow me on instagram at oat93, cheers!