Milford Sound – Before the Cruise
When I decided that New Zealand would be part of my round the world trip, Andy and I planned that he would meet me there for two weeks for Christmas and New Years. I was busy (and overwhelmed) trying to organize the first few months of my trip in Southeast Asia, so I happily let Andy handle the details for our time in Kiwi Land. One thing we were most excited about seeing was Milford Sound a few hours away from Queenstown on the south island. After a bit of research, Andy picked Real Journeys because they are the only company that offers an overnight cruise instead of just a day trip, and we thought this sounded like a great way to experience Milford Sound without feeling rushed. They also had an option to be picked up in a bus from Queenstown, which worked out great for us since we didn’t have our own transportation.
The bus picked us up from our hostel in the morning, and we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we would be making several stops along the way to take in the scenery. Our driver, Justin, was extremely knowledgeable about the area and seemed really passionate about this area of New Zealand. Shortly after leaving Queenstown we stopped at a nearby lake for some pictures, and then at the Kingston Flyer, a steam engine train. (To read more about the train, see Andy’s post here.) We didn’t ride the train, but we did take lots of pictures of it and of the neighboring Lake Wakatipu.
After our lunch stop, Justin drove us through the Fiordland National Park. The park is a rainforest, where is usually rains two days out of every three. However, we were lucky with a bright sunny day. Since the park is a protected area, there is one road that goes through it and very limited areas where you can walk.
In the park, we stopped at Mirror Lakes, where we thought the sign had fallen down, until we realized it was intentional.
We stopped at Monkey Creek, where the water was so clean we filled our water bottles. Andy also insisted on pretending to be a monkey.
Justin also took us to a place called the Chasm, which was a short walk through the forest to thundering waterfalls, which we could hear more than see.
This tour we took from Queenstown to the boat where our Milford Sound cruise would begin was a welcomed surprise. We never expected to see so much and learn so much about the surrounding areas before even getting to the the ship. We were off to a great start.
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Andy and I received a discount on our Milford Sound trip from Real Journeys, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.
March 1, 2012 @ 5:43 PM
What a wonderful place for Andy to come and meet up with you! It’s one of the most beautiful places we visited in NZ — though that whole country is like one big photo op. 🙂
March 1, 2012 @ 6:13 PM
Thanks Akila! It was a country we had both wanted to visit for years, so it was great to share our time there. And yes, definitely one big photo op!
March 1, 2012 @ 11:25 PM
I’m so glad Andy (and his VT sweatshirt) could join you! And to be in NZ in summer must be gorgeous. You’ve taken some beautiful photos! The 4th is my fave 🙂
March 1, 2012 @ 11:46 PM
Thanks Heather! I’m glad he was able to meet me there too! (He smiled at your comment about he sweatshirt.)
March 2, 2012 @ 10:35 AM
Ah brings back happy memories. Some great images!! Thanks for sharing.
March 2, 2012 @ 1:40 PM
Thanks Neil!
March 2, 2012 @ 1:57 PM
What a great day! Looking forward to hearing about the cruise:)
March 2, 2012 @ 1:59 PM
Thanks DJ, hopefully I’ll have that post up soon!
March 2, 2012 @ 3:21 PM
Beautiful! Milford sound is one of the reasons we want to get back to New Zealand,
March 2, 2012 @ 4:16 PM
Thanks Kent! It’s definitely a gorgeous country.
March 2, 2012 @ 7:35 PM
I love the first and last photos. Gorgeous! I love views like this and have heard NZ is a beautiful country. These are the types of places I like to visit – out in nature, away from some of the crowds, with gorgeous scenery.
However, I am wondering who that strange guy in the pic is? Does your husband know about him? 🙂
March 2, 2012 @ 7:48 PM
My husband temporarily turned into a monkey. It was a scary moment but luckily we were able to find a cure.
Thanks Jeremy!
March 2, 2012 @ 8:47 PM
I am still strange. There is no cure for that. 🙂
March 2, 2012 @ 8:09 PM
Wow… these photos are amazing. This makes me want to go to New Zealand… now!!! I will get there soon enough though. So happy he was able to meet ya up!!!
March 2, 2012 @ 10:08 PM
Thanks Jaime! I was so happy he met me there too!
March 2, 2012 @ 10:53 PM
Ali, It’s posts like this that are making time move slower for me!!! Ugh!!! I want to be there now!!! 🙂
I’m setting aside money to cruise BOTH Milford and Doubtful Sounds. Must be done.
March 3, 2012 @ 5:51 PM
Your trip will be here before you know it! And you’ll have a great time!
March 3, 2012 @ 6:16 AM
That photo of the flowers in front of the mountains is SO pretty! I really need to go to NZ in the summer sometime…
March 3, 2012 @ 5:52 PM
Thanks Amanda! As much as you like NZ, I’m sure you’ll get back there again during the summer.
March 5, 2012 @ 6:11 AM
As much as us Aussies like to bag the Kiwis in jest, New Zealand really is a beautiful country. And considering the time of year that you went, you probably found New Zealand at its best. I really love the pictures of the flowers and of the steam train. The steam train reminds me of the old Puffing Billy that cuts through the mountains between Belgrave and Emerald at the eastern outskirts of Melbourne. As for the flowers, they look stunning and radiant. It kind of reminds of me the old Windows XP desktop background that I used to have on my old computer except you’ve got it right there in front you and you’ve taken a picture of it. I hope all is well with you:)
March 5, 2012 @ 2:11 PM
Hi Matthew! It was a really nice time of year, still cold at times (I was glad to have my winter coat) but gorgeous. Thanks, I’m glad you like the pictures, I’ve suddenly gotten into photographing flowers so I have tons of them.
June 25, 2015 @ 8:15 PM
I couldn’t help but laugh at the “Mirror Lake” sign– priceless! I also loved your photo of the flowers with the mountains in the background. I’m glad you were able to have such a great adventure before the cruise even started!