Here we are Queenstown, the last destination of our New Zealand road trip! We have a few more activities to do in the last couple of days before flying back home, and this one is probably the most famous on the South Island. Yes, we’re going to the iconic Milford Sound! I’ve heard a lot about this tourist destination while researching places to visit before our holiday, and you hear it come up from time to time if you follow a few travel bloggers and vloggers like I do. But I never really knew what it was, or what I was going to experience. Trust me, it was worth the wait.
Now, New Zealand is known best for its beautiful landscape. But Milford Sound takes it to another level with towering mountains, intriguing rock formations, surging waterfalls and so many more natural wonders. Despite the name, Milford Sound is actually a fiord instead of a sound, caused by the erosion of ancient glaciers which opens out into the Tasman Sea. The area has a lot of history, both Māori and European, but it now brings people from all around the world to appreciate its beauty.
You’d think the last few days of our holiday would be a time to relax right? Well, to catch the bus from Queenstown, we had to wake up at 4:30 in the morning so that we could be ready on time. And yes, I am a zombie in the morning. But the pros outweighed the cons so I didn’t mind once I was on the bus. We had a super nice and super fun bus driver named Keith who would tell us everything there is to know about Milford Sound as well as what we were driving past! For a 2-hour bus ride, it wasn’t boring at all. We took a few stops along the way for food and toilet breaks, as well as taking a look at some breathtaking scenery.
I know that the Milford Sound cruise was the star of the show, but the bus ride was actually incredibly scenic. I’m glad we were allowed to step off the bus multiple times to take photos of how amazing the New Zealand landscape is, as well as stretch our legs. Even looking out the window of the bus was amazing! And of course, I got to play the travel sickness card to get the window seat, suckers! And guess what we saw on the way to the cruise… A kea! I finally got to see one of the most mischievous birds in the wild. Well, outside of a zoo anyway. And surprise surprise, it was trying to tear apart the rubber around someone’s car door. It was a very cheeky bird and didn’t seem to care about all the people around it. Since we were all waiting for our turn in the one-way tunnel, everyone had left their car to take photos and videos of the famous New Zealand bird. And the owner of the car it was destroying was trying to shoo it away. With no luck at all.
After my longest yet best time on a bus, we finally arrived at Milford Sound to board the boats. Our tour group wasn’t too big so it didn’t take a very long time before we had all climbed aboard and found a spot to gaze out at the fantastic views. And we were off! Everything around me just made me feel so small, yet so connected to the earth. I know that may sound a little hippy to some of you, but you just won’t understand what I’m talking about until you truly experience something so large and beautiful that was made by the earth itself. While my parents went to the front of the boat, I just stayed at the back for a while, feeling everything around me with every part of my body. I could feel the wind passing through me, the water mist my face and the waves flowing under me. Sitting alone here also allowed me to think about travelling solo, something I’ve wanted to do for a while now but have always been too scared to because of my anxiety. If it always feels like this, I’m booking my next trip as soon as I get home!
The cruise tour was just like the bus tour, with our captain talking about everything that was around us through the boat’s speakers. It was a little hard to hear him from outside, but I picked up a few words here and there. He pointed out all the waterfalls around us, some so small and delicate in the distance, others so large and forceful. We were introduced to different rock formations like The Elephant and The Lion. We were also introduced to the locals who were enjoying the well-needed sunshine on some rocks at the water’s edge; seals! I’ve never seen wild seals this close before. And they certainly didn’t seem bothered to have a boat full of tourists sailing by, pointing and taking photos of them. They just looked over and went back to sleep. What a life!
Unfortunately, we had to turn back at some point. Sailing past everything once again was like saying goodbye to New Zealand’s natural beauty. Well, until next time anyway, because there will be a next time. We only have one more day in New Zealand, so let’s make that day count!
All photos in this post were taken by me.
For more information about Milford Sound, visit https://www.milford-sound.co.nz/
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