ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE DRIVES YOU WILL EVER EXPERIENCE
24 FEBRUARY 2024
The Milford Road in Fiordland is one of the best drives in New Zealand and is renowned for its stunning natural beauty of the towering mountains filled with hundreds of waterfalls (when the rain delivers the goods!), kea parrots landing on your car to say hello, a 1.2km tunnel which was hand carved through solid granite rock, lake that are mirror-like when still and so many incredible viewpoints that will absolutely blow your mind!
It's the road that takes you to the incredible Milford Sound, often referred to as the 8th wonder of the world, a place filled with unique wildlife, towering fjords and powerful waterfalls. We highly recommend taking the time to explore along the Milford Road as it's all part of the experience of Milford Sound and one of the best parts of Fiordland National Park. There are plenty of designated areas to pull over and enjoy the views.
Fiordland National Park is one of the wettest place in New Zealand (and the world) but don't let this put you off.... because the place comes ALIVE with waterfalls!
It's the road that takes you to the incredible Milford Sound, often referred to as the 8th wonder of the world, a place filled with unique wildlife, towering fjords and powerful waterfalls. We highly recommend taking the time to explore along the Milford Road as it's all part of the experience of Milford Sound and one of the best parts of Fiordland National Park. There are plenty of designated areas to pull over and enjoy the views.
Fiordland National Park is one of the wettest place in New Zealand (and the world) but don't let this put you off.... because the place comes ALIVE with waterfalls!
Catch The Sunrise
We love catching the sunrise as much as possible buuuut it doesn't happen as much as we'd like, especially in summer when the sun rises fairly early (it can be as early as 5:30am in Southland) however, in winter, it's a little later and on the day we drove out to our cruise at Milford Sound, the sun didn't rise till after 8am and we were so thankful that we could get on the road early enough to catch the sunrise on our travels!
The awesome thing about being on the road at sunrise is it's so quiet and not many people around (especially when it's not the busy season) and watching the golden glow hit the mountain tops around every corner.
The awesome thing about being on the road at sunrise is it's so quiet and not many people around (especially when it's not the busy season) and watching the golden glow hit the mountain tops around every corner.
Eglinton Valley
The Eglinton Valley is a super flat area with a rugged mountain range in the background. When we visited, the area was partially covered in fog, which added to the beauty of the view! There is no parking area here, however there is enough room for a couple of cars to pull over so you can get out and take photos.
Click here for the location on Google Maps.
Click here for the location on Google Maps.
Hollyford Valley Lookout
The viewing platform is high above the Hollyford Valley and from here there are sweeping views across the valley as far as the eye can see. The valley is covered in thick green forest, a striking blue river, plus snow peaked mountains if you visit in winter. I loved being here at sunrise as the sun was cutting through the fog and it looked so enchanting.
There is a designated parking spot here, with enough room for around 6 cars. Click here for the location on Google Maps.
There is a designated parking spot here, with enough room for around 6 cars. Click here for the location on Google Maps.
Homer Tunnel
Perhaps the most famous spot along Milford Road is the Homer Tunnel because this is where most of the kea hang out and it's surrounded by hundreds of waterfalls on a rainy day. The tunnel was opened in 1954 and is 1.2kms long, going deep into the granite Darran Mountain Range. It's a one lane tunnel, so be prepared to wait a little while till you can go through (we waited around 8 minutes). The only exception is when there is avalanche risk in winter, the tunnel is open to both lanes of traffic so the cars can keep on moving. We had a couple of cheeky kea jump onto our car and peek their head inside to see what food we can give them. This is all part of the Milford Sound experience!
Click here for the location on Google Maps.
Click here for the location on Google Maps.
Monkey Creek
Monkey Creek is a nice place to stop off to enjoy the surrounding area. There is a designated parking area and you'll most likely see the kea here too! We had a few hanging around, going from car to car when they pulled up, seeing what food they could get - they really are cheeky! The creek itself really is just a creek and nothing to write home about, but the area is beautiful. I lost the rest of my photos when my external HD crashed, so this is the only photo I have to show but I promise it's so beautiful!
Click here for the location on Google Maps.
Click here for the location on Google Maps.
Mirror Lakes
The west coast of the South Island has some of the most beautiful mirror lakes in New Zealand (both in the West Coast Region and in the Southland Region) and nestled amongst the Fiordland National Park is the stunning Mirror Lakes, which are aptly named!
There is a designated carpark for the lakes and it's only a few hundred metres via board walk to get to the viewing platforms where you can see a crystal clear reflection of the Earl Mountains on a windless day. I loved seeing the band of gold hit the top of the mountains at sunrise and the dusting of snow added to the beauty.
Even if the lakes aren't completely still, it's still a really beautiful outlook of the Earl Mountains and it takes less than a minute to get to them from the carpark, so it's always worth stopping in for a look.
Click here for the location on Google Maps.
There is a designated carpark for the lakes and it's only a few hundred metres via board walk to get to the viewing platforms where you can see a crystal clear reflection of the Earl Mountains on a windless day. I loved seeing the band of gold hit the top of the mountains at sunrise and the dusting of snow added to the beauty.
Even if the lakes aren't completely still, it's still a really beautiful outlook of the Earl Mountains and it takes less than a minute to get to them from the carpark, so it's always worth stopping in for a look.
Click here for the location on Google Maps.
Christie Falls
The Christie Falls is a small yet powerful waterfall located along the Milford Sound Highway. There is a designated carpark around 20-metres south of the falls and you'll need to walk along side the road and cross it to get to the falls. It's one of the most popular spots along the highway, so be prepared to share the view with others!
We loved the clear blue river on the opposite side of the falls and the backdrop of mountains covered in fog, so be sure to look to your left when you're walking to the Christie Falls.
There is another waterfall, Falls Creek Falls (yes, that's the name!) that is a 10-minute walk from the left of Christie Falls.
Click here for the location of Christie Falls on Google Maps.
We loved the clear blue river on the opposite side of the falls and the backdrop of mountains covered in fog, so be sure to look to your left when you're walking to the Christie Falls.
There is another waterfall, Falls Creek Falls (yes, that's the name!) that is a 10-minute walk from the left of Christie Falls.
Click here for the location of Christie Falls on Google Maps.
Walking From The Carpark To The Terminal
Mitre Peak is one of the most iconic and recognizable landmarks in Fiordland National Park (and New Zealand). It's situated near the entrance of Milford Sound and it's easy to spot once you're there. It stands at an impressive 5,551 feet high and although you can't climb it, you can take as many photos of it as your heart desires. Often the entrance to Milford Sound is quite calm, so Mitre Peak's reflection sits on the ocean in perfect harmony with its surroundings! You can see it all the way from the Milford Sound carpark to the cruise terminal.
Mitre Peak isn't the only beautiful mountain in the area, especially when the fog is around to add more beauty to the mountains and I could have spent hoooours in one spot taking photos of them all!
There is a very popular swing which is a hidden treasure along the Milford Foreshore Walk. The track to get to it is not long after the bridge crossing and you'll see a path that will take you to the beach and you'll see the swing. We're going to visit next time we're in Milford Sound as we ran out of time on our last trip!
Mitre Peak isn't the only beautiful mountain in the area, especially when the fog is around to add more beauty to the mountains and I could have spent hoooours in one spot taking photos of them all!
There is a very popular swing which is a hidden treasure along the Milford Foreshore Walk. The track to get to it is not long after the bridge crossing and you'll see a path that will take you to the beach and you'll see the swing. We're going to visit next time we're in Milford Sound as we ran out of time on our last trip!
Tutoko River Bridge
Heading away from Milford Sound, there is enough space on the left for a couple of cars to park up so you can head across the footbridge, which goes over the Tutoko River. It starts only a few metres from the carpark and although it's not the most spectacular sight in Milford Sound, it's still a beautiful view across the river and to the mountains in the distance. There is an information board on the bridge which gives some insight into the area.
Click here for the location on Google Maps.
Click here for the location on Google Maps.
Hundred Falls
On the Milford Sound side of the Homer Tunnel, is one of the most spectacular sights you will see in New Zealand - Hundred Falls. It's aptly named because when it rains, the place comes ALIVE with hundreds of waterfalls, streaming down the mountains. We went on a cloudy day with no rain and there were still plenty of waterfalls, so I can only imagine how incredibly impressive it would be when it rains! Milford Sound really is one of the only places in the world where you wish for rain when you visit!
There isn't a carpark to view the falls, as it is literally all around you, but there are random spaces along the highway to pull over and enjoy the view.
Click here for the location on Google Maps.
There isn't a carpark to view the falls, as it is literally all around you, but there are random spaces along the highway to pull over and enjoy the view.
Click here for the location on Google Maps.
Gertrude Valley Lookout
This is a nice place to stop along the highway and there is a mahoosive gravel carpark with room for plenty of cars and buses. Most people park here to do the Gertrude Saddle Track (which is a long hike and one we didn't have time to do) but it's a good place to stop off at for photos. The valley is beautiful and there are loads of photo ops, no matter which way you turn. We found this part of Fiordland to be particularly cold in winter and even found some chunks of snow for the girls to play with, that were left over from the snowfall 2 days before!
Click here for the location on Google Maps.
Click here for the location on Google Maps.
Cleddau Valley
Near the Homer Tunnel is the stunning and breathtaking Cleddau Valley. I don't really have the words to describe how utterly beautiful the view here is, so I'll let the picture speak for itself. There are areas that you can pull over and stop to take photos and don't forget to turn around from here as this is where the hundred falls are, in the opposite direction!
Conclusion
There are so many more places to stop along the highway that we haven't mentioned (because we haven't visited them yet!) so as I mentioned before, we highly recommend taking half a day to a whole day to explore the road, look out for the signs and soak in the sights! It takes 2 hours (give or take) to drive along the highway, so it really is an all-day affair.
We reckon that the Milford Sound road is just as beautiful (if not more beautiful) than the cruise through the fjords at Milford Sound, so we know you won't be disappointed, no matter the weather!
It will be one of the most incredible drives you will ever do, so make the most of it!
We reckon that the Milford Sound road is just as beautiful (if not more beautiful) than the cruise through the fjords at Milford Sound, so we know you won't be disappointed, no matter the weather!
It will be one of the most incredible drives you will ever do, so make the most of it!
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