My dream vacation/destination has always been to New Zealand. I fell in love with the scenery, beautiful natural wonders, and people by viewing the Lord of the Rings movies and the DVD extras. My wife and I had the privilege to visit the country a year or two after we were married and it was a once in a lifetime experience. We had two weeks to spend traveling from the north to the south island and knew we were finishing our trip in some of the best stops along the way…Queenstown and Milford Sound.
We took a guided tour very early in the morning from Queenstown. We drove around Lake Wakatipu (a clear mirror-like lake in between Queenstown & the West coast)., through Athol, Mossburn, up past Te Anau, and Lake Te Anau.
The lake views were amazing and the scenic mountains posed a perfect backdrop to the 4-5 hour drive each way to Milford Sound. One of the highlights was the Mount Eglinton range and the Eglinton Flats. The mountains were featured in the opening title sequence of The Two Towers film.
Once you get closer to the Sound, there is only one way in. This is a narrow tunnel (Homer Tunnel) that allows one vehicle to pass through at a time. This was one of the most harrowing and interesting parts of the 4-hour trip to Milford. Once you pass through the tunnel, you begin to see the hidden wonder of Milford Sound. Emphasis on SOUND. There is a 60% chance of anyone encountering rain on a visit to Milford. The sound is in Fiordland National Park which is one of the wettest places on earth. So the first thing you see AND hear is waterfalls. 1,000s of waterfalls.
Once you finish your drive and end up at the Information Center and park, you can choose to visit the scenic lookout for photos or catch a tour boat or kayak to begin exploring on the water. Milford Sound attracts between 500,000 and 1 million visitors each year despite its remote location. It is New Zealand’s most popular tourist destination and Rudyard Kipling had previously called it the eighth Wonder of the World.
The boat ride we took was breathtaking. Even in pouring rain and low visibility we still witness too many waterfalls to count, dolphins, seals, and natural wonders. I would love to travel back and visit on a clear day to see the beautiful and unmistakeable Mitre Peak, but I wouldn’t trade my visit for anything in this world.
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Thanks for sharing your story and photos @JordanSB , pleased you and your wife enjoyed. It is a beautiful part of NZ and the world. My wife and I plan to live in Wanaka when we return to NZ. Here is my recent post of Milford Sound
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Hi @JordanSB ,
This is absolutely breathtaking! Thanks for sharing this with us! This is the perfect reason to visit New Zealand, for anyone looking to go. 
The waterfall photo is my favourite.
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Very nice content you shared with us, I like every photo you captured
@JordanSB @
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So jealous of you living there, @TheEagleEye ! New Zealand may be my favorite country I’ve ever visited.
I also am jealous of the flight you took to see the sound. What an amazing way to see all the landscapes.
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Thanks for reply @JordanSB . I have lived away from NZ for nearly 12 years, 11 of them in the Middle East and the past 11 months in Prague, Czech Republic. My wife and I are planning to return to NZ in the near future so we can be near our daughter again.
The plane trip was very nice getting to and leaving Milford Sound. Going over the water before landing was amazing.
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Beautiful photos! Love them! Thanks for sharing!
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Wow @JordanSB , I’m really impressed by the beauties that you shared to us about New Zealand and specially about Milford Sound. Really amazing photos, thanks a lot for sharing them with us. =)
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@JordanSB amazing photos.
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Congratulations, dear LG @JordanSB - Well Conceived, written & presented with expressive photographs; thanks for sharing your personal experience.
Highly appreciate your efforts,
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@JordanSB , I know exactly what you mean… I was here last year and I fell in love with the place! I spent a total of two nights here. Like you mentioned, it was raining throughout on the way and our coach driver told us not to feel bad about the rains, but to enjoy the countless waterfalls here! ? Fortunately the next day it was sunny and I got to see the lovely mountains!
Did you know that Milford Sound is actually a fjord and named incorrectly? ?
Cheers!
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@vvbellur , our coach driver told us the exact same thing. we definitely only saw Milford Sound in the pouring dreary rain but it was still mesmerizing and beautiful. I’m also glad that you got to see the sound on a clear day.
I also did not know that fun fact. Thanks for sharing!
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Oh… Interesting… @JordanSB
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I see, @vvbellur - That would have great trip for you?
Thanks
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@JordanSB wow all the photos r amazingly beautiful. Gr8t.
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@JordanSB Very beautiful place! Thank you for sharing your photos they are really good!
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@JordanSB Amazing photos and story! Thanx for sharing!
