Morning Cruise on Milford Sound with Cruise Milford

19 March 2025

Milford Sound, also known by its Maori name Piopiotahi, is one of the few places that visitors to New Zealand must not miss. Located in the southwest of the south island, it is one of the most remote areas of the world. The sheer remoteness makes this place one of the most special attractions in the world and is often referred to as the 8th wonder of the world.

Milford Sound is actually a fiord, not a sound, and it is a long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between high cliffs, formed over millions of years by the erosion of glaciers. Milford Sound is home to beautiful waterfalls, dramatic towering cliffs, and lots of unique flora and fauna. It is so awesome that I chose to revisit Milford Sound even though my family had done the Milford Sound cruise in 2004. 

Milford Sound is the only fiord in New Zealand that is accessible by road and the best way to see and experience the fiord itself is on a boat. Te Anau is the best place to stay for the night, and then head to Milford Sound early in the morning to catch the first cruise.

21 years had passed since I last visited and Milford Sound had not changed very much. Just like before, I chose to self-drive to Milford Sound from Te Anau and booked a boat cruise with one of the many cruise operators. There are some really amazing stops on the journey between Te Anau and Milford Sound.

You can read more about our fantastic road trip to and from Milford Sound in my blog post here.

Which boat cruise to take?

It is prudent to pre-book a boat cruise on Milford Sound and I was spoilt for choice. There are many tour and cruise operators offering cruises that typically lasts between 1.5 to 2 hours and covers all the major highlights.

Day cruises run at various times of the day. Morning cruises tend to have the calmest waters, fewer crowds and higher chances of spotting wildlife but the long drive to Milford Sound means a very early departure from Te Anau. Mid-day and afternoon cruises are often the only choice for people who joined day tours and arriving from Queenstown or even Te Anau.

In terms of boats and services, these can range small, boutique boats to large, multi-deck vessels with spacious seating, cafés offering buffet, and rooftop decks. Smaller boats provide a closer-to-nature, more intimate experience, perfect for those who want to feel immersed in the fiord’s tranquility.

As someone who dislikes crowds and loved nature and photography, I booked a 9.45 AM cruise with Cruise Milford who offers a smaller boat and guarantee an uncrowded and much more personal experience by limiting passenger numbers on board all cruise departures to 50% of the boat’s capacity.

 

Cruise Milford recommended allowing at least two hours travelling from Te Anau to Milford Sound. This meant that we had to leave Te Anau before 7 AM to allow us sufficient time (plus some buffer) to drive with minimal stops, park our car and get to the visitor terminal on time. 

We had a fantastic drive to Milford Sound in the early morning. We managed to park at the free parking available at Deepwater Basin Road which is about a 30 minutes walk away from the cruise terminal.

We arrived at the Milford Sound Visitor Terminal at 9.20 AM, just in time to collect our boarding passes from the Cruise Milford counter.    

Inside the Milford Sound Visitor Terminal. Toilets are readily available here.

Looking for our boat which was moored at Pier 4. 

All the boats were moored just outside the terminal.  While waiting to board, we had time to shoot some photos. It was good that we had applied sandfly repellent beforehand to ward away the flying pests that was swarming around the dock.

Some of the boats at the terminal.

Our small boat on the left as compared to the regular sized larger boats.

The cruise departed on time and there were no more sandflies once the boat got going. The cruise takes about 1 hour 45 minutes. They will cruise through and fiord and then head out to the edge of the Tasman Sea before returning.

Complimentary hot drinks, water and cookies were provided in the passenger lounge below deck but all the passengers went to the deck to enjoy the splendid views of the fiord. We were lucky to have excellent weather with clear blue sky.

No one stay below deck! Everyone is outside.

Enjoying a cup of hot coffee while admiring the sights. 

There are commentary throughout from the skipper explaining what we are seeing and also names of the numerous waterfalls. The skipper pointed out a mountain range that looked like a sleeping lion, complete with mane and tail on our right. Other than that, the scenery is so awesome that I did not really listen to what was said.

We were free to walk around the boat - upper deck, lower deck, the lounge area and also to the bow.

Incredible views of the cliff faces along the fjord.

Last bit of a glacier could be seen. This glacier would soon be gone as the world gets warmer.

Beautiful morning on Milford Sound with the sunrays hitting the morning mist.

I was glad we went on the early morning cruise as the scenery and photos with the morning mist and light were much better than if we had done the cruise later in the day.

There are numerous waterfalls that are visible. Some the larger ones are on our left side of the boat as we travelled out towards the Tasman Sea. The morning sun shining on the spray from the waterfalls formed bits of rainbow near the bottom.

 

We even spotted some dolphins near the mouth of the inlet with the Tasman Sea. We spent about 5 minutes observing them before they dived and disappeared.

A family of dolphins frolicking close to our boat.

The skipper warned us to be wary of some turbulence as the boat made a turn out in the Tasman Sea before returning to the fiord.

View of the shoreline while the boat was out in Tasman Sea. The low mist in the morning made a wonderful picture.

Enjoying the cool breeze and morning sun.

On the way back, the boat hugged close to the opposite side of the rocky cliffs.

Milford Sound is situated near the southern end of the Alpine Fault, a major fault line in New Zealand. A visible crack could be seen on the rock face. There is always a risk of an earthquake and the resulting tsunami but the probability of it happening during our 1.5 hours cruise is one in a million.

Alpine fault line crack in Milford Sound visibly extending all the way straight up the mountain-side.

Another waterfall.

We made a stop at Seal Rock. Seal Rock is the year-round hangout spot for local fur seals. Most of Milford Sound coastline is made up of sheer vertical cliffs with the exception of this large rock. The native New Zealand fur seals that live in Milford Sound can clamber upon this rock to sleep and do some sun tanning.

Three seals resting on Seal Rock.

Once pass Seal Rock, the boat went  to one of the most famous waterfalls in Milford Sound known as Stirling Falls.

Stirling Falls drops 146 metres from a valley between two imposing mountains.

Being on a smaller boat, we could go up close to the falls and feel the sound and spray from the cascade.

  

We went to the bow of the boat as the boat headed back to the start point.

Heading towards the Cruise Terminal as a plane flew overhead. 

View of Mitre Peak as the skipper moors the boat on the pier.

Our boat backed at the same pier.

It was amazing to do the relaxing and scenic boat cruise on Milford Sound again. It is definitely one of New Zealand's most spectacular natural attractions.