Wildlife and Water in Milford Sound | New Zealand Road Trip

Top of my list to visit in New Zealand was Milford Sound. Every time I had spoken to someone about my upcoming New Zealand adventures, they'd agreed that it was the number one spot to see. So we got up early at our campsite in Te Anau one morning, and Esme drove us down.

The first part of the drive was easy, with just a few roadworks that slowed us a little. It was when we got closer to Fiordland that the terrain became more difficult. Windy roads, hairpin bends, potholes. But the views were magnificent. And they just kept getting better. One snow capped mountain was in our vision, taking our breath away, and then we drove around a bend and then there were more, all towering above us. Details emerged, the thick layered ice like decoratively set sugar, dazzlingly white with grey shadows.

We had to stop at traffic lights and wait before we could then drive through one of the mountains to get to the other side. As we did, several kea flew down and started investigating the queue of cars. These birds are cheeky and are happy to damage vehicles in search of something to eat, or even just something to do! We were lucky they went straight to the cars behind us and left us alone, watching on as they surprised our fellow drivers.

On the other side of the tunnel was the big descent. We took the roads slowly, and I tried to imagine how the coaches we'd seen earlier heading this way had made it around these steep and tight bends. Esme drove us very well, and when we reached the bottom we followed signs to a carpark and found a spot.

Esme and I had booked onto a cruise and kayak that afternoon, whilst Eve decided to do some exploring on her own. The two of us made our way to the visitor terminal where we picked up our activity and lunch passes and waited to board the boat. The water of the sound was glittering in the bright sunlight. Fiordland is one of the wettest regions in the world, however today the weather was dry, clear skied, and brimming with sunshine. On the boat we redeemed our vouchers for lunch and ate our sandwiches and snacks with a beautiful view. The ferry departed and we went upstairs to the top deck to admire our surroundings. 

On the top deck, the wind was blustery but the sun was warm. The water was gorgeous shades of deep blue and teal, tiny white tips of waves rolling and flattening at their leisure. The rocky cliffs of the sound were covered in greenery and waterfalls that appeared with a glimmer of light. We got up close to a large waterfall, which sounded so powerful but ran so smoothly, casting refreshing water vapour over us. Cliffs emerged and disappeared as we travelled. On some rocks we saw seals sunbathing and snoozing!

We departed the boat to head to our kayak adventure. Since our success in a double kayak at Cathedral Cove, Esme and I had decided to share once again. We got dressed in our life vests and situated in the kayak – me in the front again, her peddling in the back. 

The water of Harrison Cove was blue and still and beautiful. Surrounded by rock face and trees and views of snowy mountains, it was so peaceful to just bob on the surface. We paddled around the edges of the cove, dipping our empty water bottles into the sound to refill them and tasting the freshest water. It was a hundred times better than the water we’d been drinking at the campsite that morning!

One of the kayaks capsized randomly, and Esme and I were kind of jealous. The water looked like it would make for a gorgeous swim, and we were a little tempted to manufacture our own capsize… Instead we distracted ourselves searching the land for animals, and were delighted to spot a penguin waddling through the trees!

When it was time to head in, we had one more adventure before catching the boat back to the visitor terminal. Ten metres below the water’s surface is an underwater observatory where you can look out at sea life living and passing nearby. There are species of black coral you can see, something that is usually only seen 500 metres below the surface! Plus a huge variety of fish. Some very tiny, in groups, and other larger ones that swam solo. We saw starfish too! 

We didn’t get too much time down there before we had to take the boat back. We were the last people up the stairs, entranced by the underwater scenes, reluctant to leave. The boat journey back was much shorter, but still pretty, complete with more waterfall views.

It was early evening when we got back to the van and reconvened with Eve. She told us about her day and the walks and views she’d encountered. And then we began the journey back. As we wound up the twisty roads towards the tunnel, we noticed the sky had quite quickly gathered with grey clouds and it had started to rain. We parked up to watch with amazement as the cliffs came alive with silver waterfalls, running down the rocks, glistening like spiders’ silk. There were so many, dancing around us.

This was just a hint of what the area must look like on a rainy day, and offered us another good reason to one day return…