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Milford Sound is a fjord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island, within Fiordland National Park and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site.
It is one of New Zealand's most-visited tourist spots despite its remote location and the long journey. |
Piopiotahi - Maori name for Milford Sound.
Piopiotahi means "many openings in one", tracing back to the Maori legend, Tu-te-raki-whanoa who shaped the corner of Te Rua-o-te-moko (Fiordland) into his finest sculpture - Piopiotahi (Milford Sound). |
Almost all tourists going to Milford Sound take one of the boat tours which usually last between 1-2 hours.
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During 2-hour cruise, buffet lunch, coffee and tea are available on board.
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Enjoy the breathtaking scenery with a full commentary on the natural history of the Sound.
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Sea kayaking is another way to immerse yourself in Milford Sound's huge peaks, waterfalls and sheer rock faces.
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Milford Sound has a population of 60 in the middle of winter, yet has over 400,000 visitors each year.
There is no private housing in Milford Sound. The only way you can live there is by working for a licensed tourism operator. |
cliffs and waterfalls with a two-storey tour boat (in the right corner) providing relative size
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Milford Sound was carved by glaciers during successive ice ages.
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Lush rain forests cling to the sheer cliffs, while seals, penguins, and dolphins frequent the waters.
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Cruise guide explains about the rare Fiordland Crested Penguin.
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Seals can be viewed from just meters away.
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Milford Sound is one of the wettest places on earth. The rainfall creates dozens of tpermanent and temporary waterfalls cascading down the cliff faces.
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Smaller waterfalls run from such heights may never reach the bottom of the sound, drifting away in the wind.
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Some waterfalls reach a thousand metres in length.
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Get close, get wet, get excited!
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Milford Sound generates all its own power and has its own sewerage scheme.
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Thickly forested slopes keep the water clean and also provide an important source of food for underwater life.
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Milford Deep Underwater Observatory is nestled in Harrison Cove, beneath Pembroke Glacier, amongst towering mountains of Fiordland National Park. Here visitors descend 10.4m (the equivalent of a four storied building) and closely view the real life situations deep below the surface of the fiord, quite different from the artificial environment of an aquarium.
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Through 1.2m thick acrylic windows, you can see sea stars, sponges, horse mussels, black and red coral that are usually at depths of than 40 meters, and a variety of fish.
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You are never sure whether an octopus, a seal or any ocean predator may appear from the dark water of the fiord.
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After a 7.8 magnitude Fiordland earthquake on 15 July 2009, New Zealand got closer to Australia - Puysegur Point (the southwest tip of the South Island) has moved west by 300mm, Te Anau by 100mm, Bluff by 30 millimetres, Dunedin by 10mm and Christchurch by a tiny amount.
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All rubbish generated in Milford Sound is completely removed from the Fiordland National Park. You can help by taking any rubbish back out with you.
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By road, Milford Sound is 295km from Queenstown (about 4 hours' drive), and 121km awayTe Anau (2-hour drive).
The drive to Milford Sound itself passes through unspoiled mountain landscapes, rain-forest-carpeted canyons and the sound. |
Highlights of one-day tour in Milford Sound: Eglinton Valley, Mirror Lakes, Christie Falls, Upper Hollyford Valley / Monkey creek, Homer Tunnel, Underwater Observatory and Milford Sound.
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Mirror Lakes
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The road to Milford Sound is one of the five most avalanche prone public highways in the world, and it costs over NZ$1 million a year to keep the road open.
It took about 60 years to develop Homer Tunnel (1.2km) for the road access to Milford Sound. |
Kea, the New Zealand mountain parrots, always entertain you while you are waiting for the one-way traffic of Homer Tunnel.
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Apart from the scenic flights by light aircraft and helicopter, Milford Sound can also be reached on foot as the final destination of the several-day Milford Track.
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Milford Sound - Incredible Sights, Unforgettable Sound
Out of 260 natural landmarks around the world, Milford Sound has been nominated to compete for a spot on a list of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2011. |
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