Milford Sound

Get ready to be in awe of the Milford Sound, one of New Zealand’s most beautiful destinations. Fly over dramatic fiords, rainforests and otherworldly waterfalls, catching glimpses of our native fauna from fur seals to penguins and dolphins.

Milford Sound is embraced within the expanse of Fiordland National Park, a landscape dominated by two main geographical features - the mountains and the sea. Weather patterns rise off the Tasman Sea to cross the mighty Southern Alps, creating Milford Sound’s famously rainy climate as they pass. This plentiful rainfall gives Milford Sound its unique character, feeding lush rainforests, lakes, rivers and thundering waterfalls.

Here, rugged and mysterious fiords carved by ancient glaciers dominate the scenery, from the mountains to the wild and windswept west coast. Milford Sound scenic flights are one of the few ways to truly appreciate their immense scale. Glide over the towering presence of Mitre Peak, through the rainbowed mists of Stirling Falls and Bowen Falls and through valleys carpeted in verdant native forests.

There won’t be another person in sight when we land on a remote beach hidden in the Sounds, but you won’t be alone. Far from the crowded tourist boats, you have the chance to witness New Zealand’s precious native wildlife. Kea, Takahe, Mohua and Kakapo birds make their homes in the forests. Fur Seals bask in the sun near their colonies and frolic in the clean waters. Little Blue Penguins regularly make an appearance, while the incredibly rare and endangered Fiordland Crested Penguins return to the same Milford Sound beach in mating season each year. Bottlenose and Dusky Dolphins put on showstopping displays in the marine reserve, and are always a favourite!

This area is historically rich. In 1770, Captain James Cook sailed past Milford, mapping this northernmost fiord as a bay. Fifty-three years later a sealer caught in a storm thought they were going to be tossed to their peril on the rocks of this charted ‘bay’, when instead they found themselves blown into the undiscovered fiord of Milford Sound. Today, exploring here is far more enjoyable - our Queenstown helicopter scenic flights to Milford Sound are perfect for exploring the diverse terrain, providing enhanced visibility and safety in this incredible landscape.