Visiting the Milford Sound, and Fiordland National Park, is high on the list for many New Zealand travelers – including us. So we made our way to the nearby city of Te Anau and left early the next morning for our tour.

The most common way to see the sound is to join a day cruise which takes you and a group of other travelers out on the water for a few hours. But we wanted to get a closer experience with the sound – and break away from the throngs of tourists. So we opted for a kayak trip with Rosco’s Milford Kayaks – a locally owned and operated tour company. We chose their Stirling Sunriser trip because it promised lots of time on the water (boat out, kayak back), some up close and personal time with the waterfalls, and it did not start at 7AM!

I had heard the road to Milford Sound could take a little longer than people expected – so I was nervous about being late for our tour which left at 9AM. (We had to check in 15 – 30 minutes earlier than that.) So I made us get up and out the door extra early that morning, and in the rush we left our camera behind! We thought about turning back to get it, but were worried we would be late. As it turned out, we could have gone back to grab it because the check in time was 9AM, not earlier. (I misread the email – whoops!) Luckily our phones are waterproof (though they don’t float) so Brandon opted to carry his on the boat to capture this beauty. (My phone would be at the bottom of the sound right now.)

Anyway, on our way to the sound we were treated to some gorgeous scenery.

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And when we stopped to await our turn to pass through the entry tunnel into the park, we got to meet the world’s only alpine parrot – the Kea!

These cheeky little birds are said to have the intelligence of small children, and often cause trouble for locals by doing things like peeling the sealant out from around car windshields. Our tour guide even told that he once watch a Kea roll a snowball and perch with it on the edge of a roof. When other Keas started playing below it, he tossed the snowball on top of them, squawked with “laughter” and flew away as the others chased him.

So once we arrive – and relax a bit since we were extra early – we checked in and they decked us out in the best kayaking gear around, including:

• Striped pajamas a la Pippy Longstocking or Dr. Seuss (thermals that would keep us warm even if we got wet)
• A fleece (which was too warm to wear and became a terrific lumbar support for me in the kayak)
• A spray skirt (to keep us mostly dry while paddling)
• A neon yellow rain slicker (to keep us dry and make us easy to spot)
• A life jacket (just in case)

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Once we were all geared up (and looking good!) we piled onto a boat with our kayaks and headed out . This tour took us out a ways into the sound and we paddled back, which allowed us to see more of the sound than if we were to paddle out and back in the same time period. But no matter how you see it, Milford Sound is stunning! And we were thrilled to have beautiful sunny weather.

Generally when visiting Milford Sound, you should expect some rain. But that is good because more rain means more waterfalls like this one

We got lucky though that it rained for a couple of days before we arrived, so we got the sun AND the waterfalls. We paddled under a couple of said gorgeous waterfalls, including one that was glacial runoff. And the wind at the bottom of the falls was strong enough to capsize the kayaks, so we had to take turns and paddle through in a specific way to combat it. Luckily no one capsized and the water felt great!

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We made our way back just after lunch (and about 13 kilometers) and were thrilled with the tour! We had hoped to see a whale but apparently that only happens around once a season. We did see some fur seals which we learned are actually sea lions. We also learned that depending on the season this is one of the few places – if not that only – where you can find parrots that lives in the snow (the Kea) and penguins that live in rain forests.

Anyway, once we got back and returned our striped pajamas (which I kind of wanted to keep) we had the afternoon to explore the Fiordland area. The Lake Marian hike was recommended to us by a few people – so we headed that way! The trail head sign did not include a distance, but listed the hike as a “3 hour return” which we had the time for.

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Those that recommended it to us described the path as a moderate trail (maybe a 6 or so out of 10). And as we started, we were surprised they ranked this flat trail so high. That was until we had to start playing a game called “find the trail.”

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Much of the trail is made up of naturally (or so they seem) occurring steps, paths, etc… and the path isn’t always clearly defined. So it was an adventure scrambling over tree roots, rocks, and more. We also got lost for a bit and made our own trail, but it seemed like a few people we met did that at some point.

It was a little tiring, especially after the morning’s kayak trip, but this view was totally worth it and we would recommend it to anyone!

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The glacial lake was ice cold, but felt great (in short stints) after the hike. Once we dried off, we made our way back down the path – without getting lost this time – and may out way back to Te Anau happy, tired, and thoroughly in love with Fiordland National Park!

If you are planning a trip, you may find articles about touting both Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound as THE places to go. We debated between Milford and Doubtful – and we learned you can’t really go wrong. It just depends on how much time you have and what kind of scenery and experience you are looking for. Milford is easier to access, has more tourists, and steeper ravine views. Doubtful is harder to access (especially for a day trip), will have fewer tourists, and will have wider water views (but I hear with a higher chance of a while sighting – but don’t quote me.) But no matter which one you choose, you will be treated to an amazing day with stunning views!