FALL FOR FIORDLAND

RAIN OR SHINE, HERE’S SOME SOUND ADVICE TO HELP YOU MAKE THE MOST OF NEW ZEALAND’S WATERFALL WONDERLAND

Save for a rainy day – moody Milford Sound is one of those rare destinations where you won’t mind a bit if it buckets on your holiday parade.

Locals call the region’s drenching downpours liquid sunshine, refracting rainbows and sending hundreds of flash falls dancing down sheer slopes.

Embrace it and enjoy a wet weekend in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

DRIVE YOURSELF

Several tour operators offer cost-effective coach and cruise packages, but the drive from Queenstown is almost as awe-inspiring as the destination, so make your own way in your own time if you can.

The roads are good, just make sure you carry snow chains in winter, check if the tunnel road is open before you set out, and top up on petrol in Te Anau.

From mirror-like tarns on the roadside to echoing valleys, there are too many worthy detours to detail here, but the three-hour return hike to Lake Marian is a preferred pitstop. While the glacial-water filled lake is the piece de resistance, you only need to walk a short section of the trail to be blown away by its beauty. The mossy, forest-fringed path crosses a swing bridge before running alongside a roaring waterfall.

STAY OVERNIGHT

The majority of Milford’s visitors whip in and out in a day, but a more than eight-hour return drive from Queenstown leaves little time to do it justice.

Wilderness-wrapped Milford Sound Lodge is the only accommodation in the area, so book well in advance. I stayed in one of the newer Mountain View Chalets, which overdeliver on the advertised peak panorama.

Milford is magic in the morning before the road opens and busloads of tourists descend, and it’s a privilege to be among the handful of travellers who get to soak up this serenity. It’s also a top time for a kayak. If a sleepover at the scene isn’t an option, consider breaking up your trip around the halfway mark at the waterfront town of Te Anau.

CHOOSE TO CRUISE

I nearly made the mistake of dismissing the Fiordland flotilla as too touristy, but it proved the highlight of my wet weekend. You have to get out on the water to appreciate Milford’s majesty. There are plenty of cruises to choose from, many of which you can pick up at a discount from last-minute booking websites. I opted for a smaller boat to get closer to the main attraction.

With wonder-seekers kitted out in heavy duty red raincoats, the skipper on Southern Discoveries Encounter Nature Cruise skilfully angles the bow under misty Fairy Falls so we can experience the famous Milford glacial facial.

Sipping bottomless hot chocolate, we spy seals lolling on the rocks and a rare Fiordland crested penguin taking a bath.

GET IN THE FRAME

Improbably steep snow-dusted peaks mirrored in inky waters, forest-cloaked cliffs ribboned with waterfalls – Milford Sound doesn’t have a bad angle.

A humble rope-wrapped swing with a notso-humble view of Mitre Peak is proving prime position for photographers.

Head out from the main carpark on the short Milford Sound Forest Walk to find it on the driftwood-littered shores.

The 151m Stirling Falls that Hugh Jackman “jumped off” in the movie Wolverine is best captured from the water by boat – or kayak if you’re brave.