There is no direct route to Milford Sound from Queenstown; instead the route heads south and west to Te Anau and on to Fiordland, a four hour drive in total. There are numerous organised trips from Queenstown to let you sit back and enjoy the trip in comfort as well as learning about the area from the well-informed guides.
Queenstown to Te Anau
South of Queenstown is sheep farming country where merino sheep abound. They’re shorn twice a year, once just before lambing to encourage the animals to seek shelter in the lower pastures and make it easier for the farmers. Deer, which had been introduced by early settlers, went wild and destroyed much of the vegetation.
A bounty was placed on each tail brought in by hunters in an attempt to cull them. Tim Wallace got the hunters to bring the deer meat to him to sell, rather than leaving it to rot. The deer, however, retreated high into the mountains and Wallace had to use helicopters to bring out the carcases. When the deer learned to hide at the sound of a helicopter, Wallace decided to farm them instead. On the road to Te Anau you can see pastures full of the farmed deer.
Growing wild are manuka bushes from which the famed Manuka honey is produced. Captain Cook made tea with the leaves in an attempt to keep his crew healthy, hence its other name, Tea tree.
Te Anau to Milford Sound
From Te Anau to Milford Sound, you are driving through Fiordland with jagged mountain peaks and deep, fjords reaching far inland. This is avalanche country and the road is often closed in winter. The rainfall in this area is very high; Milford Sound can have up to 10 metres of rain in a year. There are also tree avalanches; trees which grow clinging to the steep mountainsides are washed away by the heavy rains and the domino effect produces slides where a wide swathe of trees is washed down the mountain, blocking roads and damaging property.
On the journey, the bus passes through the Homer Tunnel, finally completed in the 1950’s after having been started in the 1930’s as a way of supplying work during the depression. One of the highest alpine sets of traffic lights controls the one-way traffic through the 1207m long tunnel.
Milford Sound
Arriving at Milford Sound, take time to view the breath-taking scenery as steep, wooded cliffs rise sheer out of the still, dark waters and Mitre Peak at 1692m looms ahead of you. Sail out into the fjord towards the Tasman Sea and watch as penguins, dolphins and seals frolic in the waters close to the boat. Milford Sound ‘s resident population is only 170 but this is exceeded many times over by the busloads of tourists who arrive every day. However, out on the boat, you could be miles away from civilisation as the ship gracefully makes its way to the mouth of the fjord.
Instead of taking the long drive home, many trips offer a plane or helicopter flight back to Queenstown. We choose a helicopter and skimmed above the snow–covered peaks, landing on a snow field high in the mountains. The flight gave us outstanding views of the scenery and of Queenstown far below. An exciting end to what had been a thoroughly enjoyable day.
For more information on South Island, read about Mount Cook and Queenstown.
Ann Burnett - Ann Burnett is an experienced writer of children's stories and scripts, short stories and articles, and comedy.
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