While I could have driven, it is a very long tortuous drive and I decided I’d prefer to look at the scenery if I was going to do this. There are many tour operators going from Queenstown to Milford Sound, most driving large buses. After a bit of online sleuthing, I opted to go with a Company, BBQ Bus to Milford Sound, and was very happy with the choice. They operate small 16 passenger buses, have great guides/drivers who are very engaging and it made a long trip much more enjoyable.
The drive down to Milford Sound takes about 4 hours. We made a few short stops along the way for photo ops and “ bio breaks”. We had one longer stop where we had a very nice lunch of BBQ’d lamb and chicken kabobs.
Once at Milford, we boarded a small boat and headed out for a cruise that lasted about 1 hour 45 minutes. Although Milford Sound has over 250 rain days a year and gets over 25 feet of annual rainfall!, we were extremely fortunate in that we had clear blue skies! Perfect timing!
It truly is a beautiful place. I was glad I made the trip. After the cruise, it was time to hop on our little bus for the long trip back to Queenstown. The other option for returning is to fly out of the little airport at Milford Sound. They operate small, 12 passenger prop planes to and from Queenstown. The 4 hour bus trip turns into a 45 minute flight.
That said, the flights are not cheap. I think the driver said that they are on the order of $400NZ one way. The flight back to Queenstown would have been more expensive than my trip to Sydney tomorrow. However, on a day like yesterday with clear blue skies, it might have been worth it just for the scenery! Flying through the mountains would have been spectacular. But, alas, I jumped on the bus and got back to my hotel in Queenstown about 9 pm. It was a good trip – no regrets!
Today is my last day in Queenstown and my last day in New Zealand. I hop my flight to Sydney tomorrow and will be LA bound one week from today. So, I guess I’ll go see what kind of mischief I can get into today!