It’s hard to put the feeling of being in Milford Sound into words. It all seemed so much larger than life; the mountains, the waterfalls, and the sky all made me feel so minuscule…but in the most jaw-dropping way possible.
I was lucky enough to be there during a summer that had been extremely dry, which meant I’d had perfect blue skies for my entire trek down the Milford Track and into the Sound itself. However, that also meant that I didn’t get to see the walls of the fiord turn into a myriad of waterfalls or see the clouds creeping slowly up the sound. I was okay with that though, because, well, how could I not be with this view?
Between finishing the Milford Track and doing an overnight cruise on the Sound itself, I spent a lot more time in Milford Sound than the travelers that opt for daytrips from Queenstown.
I can argue wholeheartedly against the guidebooks that tell you not to stay in the small hamlet of Milford and recommend that you spend a night there as I did. Not only did I get to watch the sun set across the fiord while having a beer at the pub, but I also got to walk along its shores at night, seeing Mitre Peak illuminated only by the glow of the moon and the Milky Way.
As if that wasn’t enchanting enough, this was what I woke up to the next day — and I was able to enjoy it before the crowds piled in!