Enjoy New Zealand Waterfalls on a Day Trip to Milford Sound
Start your day early as you board a bus in Queenstown. Settle in for a drive along Lake Waikapitu and enjoy nature. Sheep, cattle, and deer graze contently on lush green pastures. The bus slowly climbs on twisty roads and your view consists of mountaintops covered in a new glaze of snow.
A pit stop at the town of Te Anu allows you to stretch your legs and enjoy a lake view. Continuing on from Te Anu, the bus climbs higher and the clouds roll in. A misty rain shows why this area is so lush. For the trip, you need an umbrella or a rain slicker. As you walk along a path to Mirror Lake, the thick rain forest, ferns, and beech trees drip continuous moisture. The area is so pristine, you do not want to get on the bus and yet Milford Sound is waiting.
The bus arrives early afternoon at Milford Sound to allow you to board your one o’clock catamaran cruise. The boat is huge and a crowd jams into the deck below for the buffet lunch. The mediocre meal is part of the price, but not the focus of this trip. Gulp and hurry to the upper deck for a spectacular view of the sound. Everyone jockeys for position but soon settle into sharing space and moving about the boat politely. There are no bad views. The captain of the ship discusses the nature of Milford Sound. It is technically a fjord – layers of fresh water are on top of salt water. The boat cruises to the edge of the sound and you can see the vastness of the Tasman Sea in the distance. Choppy waters preclude any further ride into the sea.
The ride around the sound is marked by hundreds of waterfalls gushing from the mountains. The boat edges close enough to feel the mists. A slow stop allows you to see seals lounging on rocks. Postcards show Milford Sound in glorious sunshine when in actuality it rains two thirds of the year. Consequently the view is gorgeously mysterious. Clouds swirl above the mountains, and more waterfalls appear out of nowhere.
You are aware that the boat engine has stopped. A murmur from the crowd and as you gaze into the water, dolphins gracefully pierce the surface. Doing crossover dives, the dolphins glide smoothly out from under the ship and on up the sound. It is an extra bonus to an excellent afternoon.
The two- hour ride is astonishingly quick. As you change out film for yet another waterfall picture, you realize you are back to port. Milford Sound proved exhilarating. You can understand how Peter Jackson’s job in filming the Lord of the Rings was made easier by New Zealand. The land is a photo opportunity with the mountains, clouds, and mists beckoning to be filmed. So, how many waterfalls are too many? Not enough for your memories of Milford Sound.
