As soon as we piled onto the tour bus, I could tell our trip to Milford Sound with Real Journeys was going to be spectacular.
First of all, it was the only bus I had ever ridden on with seats that angled outwards to give us all a better view through the windows. The windows themselves were so large (covering not only the sides of the bus but the roof), that we felt like we were being shipped around in a portable greenhouse.
A child at the front of the bus began to wail, to which the driver responded, ‘We have one loud child on board that will need to be calmed down’, and I liked him immediately.
HISTORY AND FOLKLORE
As we trundled along the highway heading west towards Te Anau, our driver regaled us with stories of ancient history, remembering a time when there were, according to him, sandflies the size of pterodactyls. He explained that wild moose had been released in the area in 1910, some of which were still believed to be roaming freely.
‘Watch out for the loose moose!’ he shouted, before cackling to himself. Apparently, one or two people had also claimed to have seen members of a lost tribe standing by the water’s edge wearing black skirts and holding spears. He urged us to take a photo and sell it to him if we were lucky enough to see one ourselves.
NATURE AND WILDLIFE
Our guide went on to explain that, while the tallest bird ever to have existed – the moa – and a 55-inch long earthworm were now extinct, one particular creature had grown in numbers to reach a staggering 70 million. The possum was considered a pest in New Zealand and our driver advised us to help support their demise by buying possum-hair gloves and willy warmers. Failing that, he said ‘Aim your headlights towards a possum and turn it into a squashem.’
We had been on the road for a little over half an hour and the sun hadn’t yet risen fully, but I already had a good sense of the kind of entertainment we could expect for the rest of the 5-hour journey!
POINTS OF INTEREST
As is the Kiwi way, the journey was broken up into sections, with regular stops to stretch legs and explore points of interest. Mid-morning, we had the chance to grab some breakfast or admire the misty lake in Te Anau. A little later, we pulled up into a field and took photos of each other with spectacular mountainous views in the distance.
MIRROR LAKES
One of the most memorable stops was the Mirror Lakes, so called because they reflect the striking scenery so clearly it’s hard not to feel disorientated as you peer at the inverted landscape.
WATERFALLS
Another highlight was a stop by a boardwalk to some high-velocity waterfalls. While they were definitely worth the effort, some keas in the car park definitely stole the limelight, parading around on the tarmac and drinking water that was leaking from our parked bus.
KEAS
Keas are exceptionally intuitive alpine parrots that have a reputation for tearing away the rubber surrounding the windscreens of parked cars. As a tourist, they’re fascinating to watch, but it’s easy to see how they’d rapidly become a nuisance.
MILFORD SOUND
Finally, we made it to the small ferry port and boarded a boat for the highlight of the day: Milford Sound. Milford is actually a series of fjords and the only true sound in New Zealand is Marlborough Sound on the north of the South Island. As we moved away from the port, the peaks of Mitre Point and one hundred other cliffs rose imposingly out of the water on either side.
Misty water tumbled effortlessly from sources we couldn’t make out with the naked eye and we were surrounded by a deathly silence. The sheer magnitude of the rock faces was astounding, and to think that they continued for over a kilometre below the surface of the water made them even more mystifying.
DOLPHINS AND SEALS
Our captain made a show of raising three sails on our boat, despite the fact that it was powered by a motor. ‘We’ll make all the other boats jealous,’ he said. And then we went in search of some wildlife. After previous failed attempts to see dolphins in the wild in New Zealand, a whole pod started to follow the shoreline in the direction of our boat. We also saw a group of seals lazing on the rocks as we made our return journey.
A CLOSE ENCOUNTER
It’s surprising how close the boats go to the cliff faces and, as we neared the ferry port once more, our captain decided to take us for a dunking. The boat edged slowly towards the expansive cliffs until we felt certain it would crash. A panicked crowd of eager onlookers rushed back towards the hull to avoid being drenched. It was the perfect end to a stunningly beautiful cruise.
GETTING TO QUEENSTOWN
Intercity Buses provide services to Queenstown from the following popular destinations (rough times in brackets): Wanaka (1 hour 30 mins); Mt Cook (5 hours); Franz Josef (8 hours); Christchurch (8 hours 30 mins). Further transfers are available from these locations. See the Intercity website for a full list of their services and bus pass options. They also offer day tours. To find out more, by click the banner below.
WHERE TO STAY
Finding accommodation in Queenstown can be tough. It’s the adventure capital of New Zealand and people flock there year round. In the ski season in July, hotels were filling up weeks in advance. I didn’t book ahead and it resulted in me having to stay in three different hostels in five different dorm rooms. If you don’t fancy checking out and in every morning, get your reservations in early. Of the three places I stayed, Haka Lodge was by far the best. It’s clean and sociable, with all the amenities you could need. There are outdoor decks and two kitchen areas as well as a large TV lounge, and all of the beds have curtains for added privacy.
For an alternative experience, why not try camping at Gunns Historical Hollyford Valley Camp the night nearby Milford Sound the night before your cruise, as Agata from Null ‘N’ Full did. That way, you can make sure you’re on an early cruise before all the day trippers arrive.
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I was offered a free trip with Real Journeys. They did not request that I write a favourable review and any opinions expressed here are my own.
You can follow my Kiwi adventures on Twitter via the hashtag #ScaredBritless or check out my Facebook updates here. For more information about travelling in New Zealand, visit 100% Pure New Zealand.
I like the picture-of-a-jumping-picture and the slanty seats. I don’t know why I’ve never thought of that before.
SnarkyNomad recently posted..Why the Seven Wonders of the World are totally stupid
The bus was really well designed. I was pretty impressed!! Slept pretty well on the way back too!
Gorgeous landscapes! And I love that picture of the girl jumping – so fun! The last picture of the waterfall looks like it’s falling on to cracking ice, rather than water!
Sam recently posted..Miami Culinary Tours Gift Certificate Giveaway
The waterfalls were amazing to see close up. There were so many and yet each one was misty and fine and falling from a massive height. Our guide told us that some locals call them ‘Biagara Falls’ because the wind sometimes seems to blow the water upwards, creating the effect that they fall in both directions. Pretty cool!
Lovely to see a post on beautiful New Zealand any time, and this one has brought back very pleasant memories for me, Arianwen.
It was grey and rainy when we went out on the boat at Milford Sound a few years ago. No blue sky, then, but literally hundreds of waterfalls cascading down the slopes.
Andrew Graeme Gould recently posted..EcoFeria de La Reina (organic market), Santiago
Glad to have reignited memories of your trip! Shame Milford was so wet and grey when you were there, but I hear it’s actually best to see Milford in the very wet season. What you really want is to time it just right so that the skies are just clearing after a heavy downpour! :)
What an amazing tour – puts open top buses to shame!
Michelle – Very Hungry Explorer recently posted..Daily Photo: Bison in Alaska
Ha! Yes it does! It was awesome :)
oh wow, those are some incredible photos. =D
Nicole | The Wondernuts recently posted..Haus der Musik is Haus der Awesome
Thank you! It’s easy to take nice photos when the scenery is so amazing :)
Love the reflection in the water!
I wish my bus rides always had your driver! Sounds like a good one. :)
Beth recently posted..A Beginners Guide to the Neighborhoods of Tokyo
Yes, I thought those Mirror Lakes were, dare I say it, prettier than Milford Sound…! And I was very lucky with the driver. He made the time pass pretty fast!!
Beautiful place…
Muza-chan recently posted..Food-serving Karakuri doll
Certainly is!! :)
Hi Arianwen Morris,
All photos are amazing, Hope you will enjoyed this wonderful trip.
Wish i could take happiness of this journey with you.
Sonia recently posted..How To Make Blogging Career Successful
Thanks! I had a great time. I hope you get the opportunity to see it one day.
Love the fact that the seats are angled. What a brilliant idea! Why are not all buses like that?
TammyOnTheMove recently posted..My Cambodia homestay experience
I know! It reminded me of a train near Machu Picchu that had swivel seats so you could face either direction. These are such simple yet genius ideas!
A lot of thought has been put behind this tour! Angled seats, glass ceiling…plus a great itinerary of course. Loved the shot of the reflection!
Federico recently posted..Announcing Mai Travel Tour: Bali & Lombok 2014
Yes, I agree. It was well planned and I’d recommend anyone to use Real Journeys if they’re looking to visit Milford Sound. I couldn’t fault them.
Didn’t visit the South Island when we lived in NZ, because I imagined it was a lot like Norway, so not as exciting for us. But even though both have mountains and fjords and glaciers, the landscape looks quite different in some ways…
Sophie recently posted..Coxen’s Hole
I’ve heard a lot of people say that there’s a close similarity between NZ and Norway. I just love how versatile the whole country is though. The South Island has more impact, because everything is on such a grand scale, but I really liked the North too. Being able to visit almost tropical rainforest on the coast, then pass through the grassy hills of the Hobbiton region, explore Waitomo caves, see thermals and hike Tongariro in the snow within a couple of days is just incredible!
HI Ariawen, what a spectacular road trip you had. And wow, I like that bus! Although it’s a long journey, it looks like the many awesome sceneries along the way made it worth it. The Mirror Lake is amazing and shot of it is just lovely. And the cruise looked so spectacular – the fjords, the waterfalls, and the dolphins! I ‘ll certainly keep this trip in mind when I get to NZ. But wait Arianwen, no jumping? No diving? No climbing? Well, I guess you need to do something tame sometime:)
Marisol@TravelingSolemates recently posted..Thimphu, Bhutan (Part 1): The Festival, the Big Buddha and the City
Haha. I thought I’d treat myself to a relaxing day :)
When I visited NZ last year I stayed in Queenstown and drove to Milford Sound.. took so long, but OMG it was worth it once you got there :)
ross recently posted..Boutique Hotels in Shoreditch
Yes, it is definitely worth the long distance. I’m glad I was on a coach though. As soon as it got dark on the way back and the beautiful views disappeared, I was out like a light!
Beautiful man…