Milford Sound Travel Forum

We have planned a day trip up to Milford Sounds into our short stay in South Island in August, but have recently read concerning information about Avalanches.

We have rented a 4x4 in the hope that this would be more suitable for the journey and had planned a day trip, leaving Te Anau and getting back to Queenstown for that night. I am aware thats about 5 hrs of driving in good conditions - that bit doesnt worry me. However, what are the chances of the road being closed or high avalanche risks at the end of August (28th/29th)? , The website i saw mentioned 4 months of risk but is it higher or lower in August.

I hadnt planned on getting chains, but saw that this is sometimes a legal requirement (not sure if i want to drive in such bad conditions). I really dont want to miss out on the beauty of Milford Sounds, but need some advise.

Hi
I have posted a couple of questions re the Milford Track but wanted to know if anyone can give me any indication of how difficult the river crossings are in the 'winter season' when the bridges are removed (we are planning to go in early May)? Obviously they are not inpassable as otherwise DOC would not keep the track open at all but does anyone know how deep the rivers are? Is the water fast flowing?
Thanks.

Hi
Everyone has been warning me about the sandflies on the Milford Track and saying we should take insect repellent (which we would anyway) but what are the sandflies like in May? Are they still around or is it starting to get too cool for them?
Thanks.

Hi
My husband and I are going to hike the Milford Track in May but it seems a lot of transport companies don't have scheduled transport 'out of season'. Can anyone recommend a transport company that will take us from Queenstown to the start of the track? I found one transport company (Topline Tours) who advise that their service operates between Queenstown and Te Anau only (departing Queenstown at 2pm), but we need to get to Te Anau Downs and then get boat transport to the start of the track.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Hi,
I realise that the 'season' for tramping Milford or Routeburn ends in April but has anyone done it in May? Although there appears to be spaces available at the end of April, for work reasons we can't go until first week of May 2008. Would anyone recommend NOT doing it then? Is it that much colder than April and is the risk of avalanche that much greater? I know that the huts are stripped of a lot of the facilities such as gas cookers etc but we are happy to carry in whatever is required.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Hi,

Based on experiences, I would like to know the best vantage points around for landscape photography on Routeburn track and Milford Sound (for a Mid February tour).

Just part of my pre-visit research.

Thanks
Srujan

I am a bit confused here. Its mainly VT who is at fault. Milford Sound is not really a destination unto itself, its a part of the Fjordlands National Park. Looking for general info on the park as a whole. Including tips on tours, accomodations and something on those mischeivous Keas. Can anyone help?

Hi,

I'm planning to visit Milford and join nature cruises on Feb 2008.

However, I'm not sure whether to join Deep Underwater Observatory activity. Did anyone join this activity? is it worth? Many thanks

When is the best time to visit both the Milford Track AND the Great Barrier Reef? We are planning to spend about three weeks each in Australia and New Zealand in the February to May time period. We want to snorkel/dive in the Reef and hike the Track.

I am interested in the Doubtful Sound Day and/or Overnight trip with real journeys. www.realjourneys.co.nz Although I might prefer an overnight cruise, in the interest of saving money, maybe I should just consider the day trip. Can anyone tell me about the Day vs. Overnight? What more does the Overnight cover, or what would I miss by just doing the Day trip?

Yes, I also plan to do the Milford day cruise. Is it a good idea to do both Milford and Doubtful sounds?

Thanks for any advice and information you can share.

Steve

back home after one month NZL. Enjoyed it, are missing it and Milford track was niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice! See you soon New zealand!

Hi,

I really want to go to New Zealand soon and tramp the Milford Track. Would it be crazy or not as fun to tramp the Milford Track in August? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Will it be the wee hours of morning, or mid morning (10am-2pm)?

Will 4 hours be comfortable for the drive from QT to MS (to catch the ferry) and with time for photo breaks?

hello all,

one question: as Europeans, do we need some kind of pills to make tabwater for us drinkable (i guess not, but you never know)? Maybe another question: Is the water of the little rivers on the Milford track drinkable?, or how can you get drinkable water on the Milford track?

thanks.

I'm starting on March the 10th, anyone else gonna be doing it then?

Anyway I don't have any equipment, (cooker/sleeping bag etc), nor enough money to buy them, what can I sort out? Also I was wondering how to get to the start of the trail from Queenstown, possible to hitch it?

I've read recommendations to do the early morning cruise so as to avoid the tourist crowd that do the noon cruise. It seems that the afternoon cruise (3pm) is not a popular cruise - why is that so?

Also, is it necc to take the option of the underwater observatory on the cruise?

Some cruises offer the option to top up for Deep Underwater Observatory - is that necc? Is the underwater view great (eg great barrier reef)? I'm under the impression the great view is above water?

I am walking the track in early March 2007 and would like advice on:

a. the best anti-sandfly stuff to buy,
b. is it best to bring along a small gaz cooker for personal use in the huts [or is there enough facilities there for all-even if all 40 want to cook breakfast at the same time], and, for lunchtime drink/soup etc., best to carry cooker, or a thermos filled with boiling water each morning?
c. are there books/mags aplenty in the huts or should I bring a paperback to while away the evenings?
brian

I have a friend who wants to walk the Milford Track, carrying her own pack. She has asked me my opinion, and I wasn't very encouraging. I have never done the Milford, but, I have done a fair amount of tramping, and would have thought you would need to be in pretty good shape to enjoy this tramp. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Hello again, some further questions about the milford track:
is it possible to go to 'Te Anau downs' by car, park it there, so we can take the boat to the start point Glade Warf (57 $), do the track (120$), take a bus back to Te anau downs (40$) so we can do the walk for 217$ pp, which is juuuust do-able for us... Question is actulally, can we park the car at Te Anau Downs? And second, are we missing some costs?

While we're on it, is it possible to combine the milford track and then do the routeburn track right after it (so not going back to Te Annau), or is this totally inhuman?

thanks

hello everyone,

we are 2 Belgian tourist who want to do the Milford track somewhere between march 15e and april 10th 2007. From everyone we hear it is neccesary to make reservation as early as possible. We haven't planned anything yet (expect arriving at march 13 and leaving at april 13 in Christchurch) and want to know if we still have time to plan this or if we should make reservation NOW.
If you have a link where to make online reservation, we would be very happy!

By the way, we don't know that much about New Zealand, only that it is heaven on earth, so if you know other stuff we definatly should check out, we would also be very happy (as you can see, we are often very happy)

thank you!

Hi,

What is the weather like in Queesntown and the sound in September?

Cheers.

what would the weather be likely be like in may and june in milford sound? what about this cruise at that time? thanx.

Hello we are thinking of taking the overnight cruise in the Sound - has anyone had any experience of doing this? We think the boat with ensuite cabins si best suited to us...

it seems the cruise starts quite late - is there any sunshine in teh sound by that stage or does it get quite shadowy? do yo see the Sound at any stage lit up by sun (if it is not raining?)

I am planning a tour of the south island. Is November or March a better time to visit Doubtful and Milford Sounds with regards to climate and tranquillity?

A heaps of them :)
1. I want to go independently. Do I have to register somewhere?
2. I prefer to sleep in my own tent. Is it possible or I must sleep in huts?
3. What about food? Should I carry everything I need with me? Or I can get some food in the huts?
4. How much does it cost (from Queenstown to Queenstown, that is, including transportation, National Park permit and maybe smth else?).
I am not native English speaker so excuse please my poor English
Thank in advance,
Jao

Hello,

We will be in New Zealand in Dec/January, but only for about 9 days. We are hoping to see as much as we can in that time. Has anyone been on or heard anything about the Milford Mariner overnight cruise? Is it early enough in the day that you get to see the sound in daylight?? Any information would be greatly appreciated!!

Any other suggestions for must see/do in the South Island are also welcome!!

Thanks!

Dear All,

We are looking for couples who already booked milford tracks between 10, 11, or 12 nov 2004 who would be willing to switch dates with us to nov 17, 2004.

Kindly contact us at christ_icrt@yahoo.com latest this week 29 oct 2004 and inform us your reservation number.

Regards
Tanto

Hi there,
my husband and me and two other girl-friends are planning a self-drive trip to the south island for 16 days in November. We have read about a few popular walks and are thinking of including either the Milford Track or the Routeburn Track. However all the girls have no prior tracking experience, we really need some advice before we embark on our journey, so our questions are:

1. for those who have done it before (i mean tracking), do u think it's a good idea for us to even try it?

2. Which track would you recommend? Milfrod or Routeburn?

3. what do you think of the Milford sound cruise as compared to the Milford Track? you know... the girls are thinking of the easier way, (sh... better don't let my husband know, he's so looking forward to it) , are we going to miss out a lot if we just go for the cruise?

We really appreciate you taking time to read and answer these queries.

Thanks a lot!
Jann

Hi,
me and Tom are going to see New Zeland. We are planning to stay there 6 weeks (from February 14 till March 28). We really want to see the most beautiful track – Milford. The best time for this track is from February 24 till March 20.

Does anyone have any ideas who we should contact for reservation (or is there a website) ? How much it cost? We are able to pay it by CC asap.

Many thanks.
Jana