Milford Sound: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Milford Sound is not a town but the end of a road: a terminal, an airstrip, one lodge and a fiord that runs 15 km to the open sea. The cruise is the reason to come, and it follows the same line under cliffs and waterfalls on every boat. Rain is the normal state here and makes the waterfalls bigger, so do not cancel for it. Allow two hours on the water, plus the walk on the foreshore before or after.

A short history of Milford Sound

The Māori called the place Piopiotahi and came here to gather greenstone. European sealers arrived at the start of the 19th century, and Captain John Grono named it after Milford Haven in Wales. Despite the name, it is a fiord carved by glaciers, not a 'sound'. The cliffs rise straight out of the water, and the summit of Mitre Peak reaches about 1,690 metres. In 1952 Fiordland was declared a national park, and the Homer Tunnel, cut through rock over many years, was completed in 1953 and opened a road for vehicles. In 1990 the area became part of a World Heritage Site.

The ten best sights in Milford Sound

1
Milford Sound Visitor Terminal
All cruises leave from here; check in 20-30 minutes early
2
Gunn's Camp
Old road-workers' huts in the Hollyford valley, with a tiny pioneer museum
3
Mitre Peak
The peak in every photo, rising straight out of the water
4
Bowen Falls
The big waterfall by the terminal; the cruises nose right under it
5
Stirling Falls
Boats push their bows into the spray; you will get wet on deck
6
Milford Foreshore Walk
Twenty minutes on the shore for the classic Mitre Peak view
7
Sandfly Point
End of the Milford Track, across the water; reached by water taxi
8
Homer Tunnel
Single-lane tunnel through the mountain; wait for the green light
9
The Chasm
Ten-minute forest walk to a river that has carved holes in the rock
10
Gertrude Saddle
Hard, unmarked alpine route; only in dry weather and with experience

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Milford Sound →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Milford Sound:

Free walking tours in Milford Sound

Out to the Tasman Sea

Milford Sound Visitor Terminal · The fiord was named Milford Haven by the sealer John Grono, after the harbour in his native Wales. Despite the name it is a fiord, carved by glaciers, not a sound made by a river.
Bowen Falls · The falls drop about 160 metres and were named after Lady Diamantina Bowen, wife of Sir George Bowen, governor of New Zealand at the time. The Māori name is Hineteawa.
Piopiotahi Marine Reserve · Heavy rain lays a layer of fresh water, stained brown by the forest, on top of the salt water. It blocks the light, so black coral, normally found deep in the ocean, grows here only metres below the surface.
Mitre Peak · Mitre Peak rises 1,692 metres almost straight out of the water. Officers of the survey ship HMS Acheron named it in the 1850s for its likeness to a bishop's mitre.
Stirling Falls · The falls are named after the captain of HMS Clio, which sailed into the fiord in the 1870s. Captains here nose the boats right into the spray, and the crews joke that a soaking takes ten years off your age.
Sutherland Falls · Deep in the mountains behind the fiord, Sutherland Falls drops 580 metres, among the highest in New Zealand. It was named after Donald Sutherland, a prospector who settled at Milford and found the falls in 1880; you see it on the Milford Track or from a scenic flight.

The Milford Road

The road from Te Anau to Milford is one of the great drives in the world, and the last 60 km are the best of it. It climbs from the open Eglinton valley through beech forest to the Divide, then dives through a tunnel and down a wall of rock to the sea. There are no fuel stations after Te Anau, so fill up there. Drive it slowly with stops, and allow two to three hours each way.

Mirror Lakes · On a still morning the small lakes reflect the Earl Mountains upside down, and a sign by the water is painted in mirror writing so it reads correctly in the reflection. A boardwalk takes five minutes.
Knobs Flat · Much of the Milford road was cut in the 1930s by relief workers during the Depression, who lived in tent camps in the valley through the winters. Knobs Flat is the rest stop in the middle of the valley, with toilets and information boards.
Lake Gunn · A loop of about 45 minutes goes through red beech forest hung with moss to the lake shore. The forest here is part of Fiordland National Park, the largest national park in New Zealand.
The Divide · At about 530 metres, the Divide is the lowest east-west crossing of the Southern Alps. It is also the start and finish of the Routeburn Track, one of the country's Great Walks.
Monkey Creek · Kea, the world's only alpine parrot, often wait at the car parks along this road for scraps. Feeding them is banned, because human food makes them sick and teaches them to raid cars.
Homer Tunnel · William Homer found the saddle above in 1889, and work on a tunnel beneath it started in 1935. Slow digging, avalanches and the war delayed it, and the tunnel, about 1.2 km long, finally opened to cars in 1954.

The Hollyford and the high walks

Just before the tunnel a side road runs north down the Hollyford valley, the old way to the west coast before the Milford road existed. Off it, and off the main road near the Divide, start the best short walks in Fiordland. Pick one big climb, Key Summit or Lake Marian, and add the short ones. Boots and rain gear; the weather changes fast.

Key Summit · Streams running off Key Summit feed three different river systems, the Hollyford, the Eglinton and the Greenstone, which reach the sea on different coasts. The top has a nature walk through alpine bog and tarns.
Lake Marian · The lake sits in a hanging valley, left high above the main valley when a smaller glacier could not cut as deep as the big one below it. The track starts with a swing bridge and waterfalls, then climbs steeply through the forest.
Hollyford Valley Lookout · The Hollyford Track runs from the end of this road to Martins Bay on the coast, the route of the early settlers who tried to found a town there in the 1870s. Their settlement at Jamestown failed within a few years.
Gunn's Camp · The huts were built in the 1930s for the men cutting the Milford road. The camp is named for the Gunn family of the Hollyford: Davey Gunn ran cattle down the valley, and his son Murray kept the camp for decades.
Humboldt Falls · The falls drop about 275 metres in three steps from a hanging valley. A short track through the forest leads to a lookout facing them.
The Chasm · The Cleddau River has carved smooth basins and holes through the rock here, swirling stones round and round in the current. It is the last stop before the fiord, ten minutes from the car park on the way down.

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Getting to Milford Sound and getting around

Milford Sound Airport · Small planes fly in from Queenstown over the mountains; weather cancels many
Visitor Terminal shuttle · Free shuttle between the car park and the cruise terminal

Cheap eats in Milford Sound

There is almost nothing to buy at Milford, and what there is costs more because everything comes 120 km by road. Bring a picnic, water and snacks from Te Anau, and treat the cruise lunch or the lodge café as the extra. Eat before the drive back: the road is long and dark at night.

Discover Milford Sound cafe · Coffee, pies and sandwiches by the car park, about NZ$6-18
Cruise lunch at the terminal · Buffet or packed lunch booked with the cruise, about NZ$30-45
Pio Pio Restaurant · Café and bar at Milford Sound Lodge, lunch about NZ$20-30
Gunn's Camp shop · Snacks, drinks and basics, about NZ$3-10

Museums in Milford Sound

Homer Tunnel · The tunnel that took almost twenty years
Gunn's Camp museum · Pioneer and road-building relics in a hut
Knobs Flat · Rest stop and information boards in the Eglinton valley
Sandfly Point · Where the Milford Track ends
Milford Sound Visitor Terminal · Displays on the fiord and the cruise departures

Nature and day trips near Milford Sound

Mitre Peak · The icon of the fiord
Bowen Falls · Walk to the base or see it from the boat
Key Summit · Three hours return, the best view for the effort
Lake Marian · Hanging-valley lake under steep peaks
Milford Foreshore Walk · Easy shore path with fiord views

Things to do in Milford Sound with kids

The Chasm · Short, safe walk to roaring water
Mirror Lakes · Find the upside-down sign
Monkey Creek · Spot kea at a safe distance
Stirling Falls · Stand on deck for the spray
Lake Gunn · Mossy forest loop that feels like a fairy tale

Where to eat in Milford Sound

Pio Pio Restaurant · The only restaurant dinner on land, at the lodge; book ahead
Overnight cruise dinner · Dinner on board the overnight boats, included in the fare
Discover Milford Sound cafe · Early dinner of hot food before the drive back, if open

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Frequently asked questions about Milford Sound

What is there to see in Milford Sound?

The top sights in Milford Sound are Milford Sound Visitor Terminal, Gunn's Camp and Mitre Peak. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Milford Sound?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Milford Sound without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Milford Sound?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Milford Sound, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Out to the Tasman Sea.

How do you get to Milford Sound and get around?

The main ways are Milford Sound Airport and Visitor Terminal shuttle. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Milford Sound, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Milford Sound that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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