Travel from Queenstown to Milford Sound on a full day journey through Fiordland National Park, combining a luxury coach tour with a cruise on Milford Sound.

The day begins along Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand’s longest lake, where the water is known for its unusual rhythmic rise and fall. In Te Anau, the gateway to Milford Sound and Fiordland National Park, there is time for comfort stops and breaks before continuing deeper into the park.

Further on, the route passes through the wide glacial landscape of Eglington Valley, shaped thousands of years ago by ice, and stops at Mirror Lakes. Here you can walk the boardwalk, where nearby mountains are often reflected in the still water. The area is also home to bellbirds, tui and black scaups among ancient beech forest.

At Monkey Creek, you can taste fresh mountain water or fill your bottle straight from the source. As the road climbs toward the Homer Tunnel, you will also see remnants of the old camp and the building known as the Chapel.

In Milford Sound, board the Pride of Milford, a purpose-built premium cruise vessel with a glass roof and large viewing decks. From the water, look out to Mitre Peak, rising sharply from the fiord within Te Wahipounamu, the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Snacks, noodles and drinks are available to buy on board.

1
GreatSights

Tour departs from this location

1 minute
2
Lake Wakatipu

Lake Wakatipu is the longest lake in New Zealand and the third largest. Wakatipu is a Maori word meaning, ‘Hollow of the Demon’. The lake has an unusual rhythmic rise and fall in the water level, approximately 12cm every 5 minutes. In Maori legend this strange rhythmic rise and fall of the water level, is said to be the beating heart of a monster from the deep depths of the lake.

Pass by without stopping
3
Kiwi Country

Te Anau is known as the Walking Capital of the World. The mountains to the left are the Kepler Mountains, home of the Kepler Track, one of the popular walking tracks in the area. Te Anau is the gateway to Milford Sound and the Fiordland National Park. The town has a permanent population of approximately 2,500 people but this fluctuates greatly in summer when the town gets an influx of fishermen, hunters, outdoor pursuit seekers and holiday makers. It’s a popular holiday destination. We stop here for morning & afternoon breaks and comfort stops.

30 minutes
4
Eglinton Valley

Eglington Valley is named by Quintin MacKinnon, who named the valley after the Earl of Eglington of Scotland. We will be following the Eglington River whose source is the small lake of Lake Fergus, which is situated in the Main Divide of the Southern Alps. The glacial valley of the Eglington is not only a truly magnificent place for photos, but also a perfect place to put the size of this valley into perspective. The distance from this road to the base of the tree-line; out to the left is 2.4km. An extremely large glacier was responsible for clearing out this valley thousands of years ago. Everything in this region is huge so it is very easy to lose perspective of this as we travel through the mountains

10 minutes
5
Mirror Lakes Walk

Mirror Lakes where most of the time the nearby mountains are reflected in the lakes. Being small, the lakes have less chance of being roughened by the winds compared to their larger counterparts and the large quantity of tannins leached from the soil into the waters give these lakes a much clearer mirror effect than many of the other lakes in the region. It is here you have the opportunity to walk along a boardwalk listening for Bellbirds and Tui’s which are protected native birds, whilst watching Black Scaups dive for food on the bottom of the lake between the various species of beech trees. These forests are said to be 135 million years old. We will drop you off at one end of the walkway and you can re-join the coach in 10 minutes at the far end of the board walk if you wish to go for a walk.

15 minutes
6
Monkey Creek

Monkey Creek is named after one of three Government employees entrusted yearly to camp here and find a path through the mountains. Eventually his monkey like climbing skills allowed him to find a path, which though not particularly safe, was used for many years for guided walking tours. It is here we have the opportunity to drink the water or full your water bottles. Because this water is flowing directly from the mountains it is one of the few remaining places it is safe to taste fresh water without contamination and you realise without chemicals doesn’t really have a taste but is extremely refreshing. Be careful filling your water bottles because the water is very cold. Also don’t be surprised if a Kea or two drop in to say hello!

15 minutes
7
Homer Tunnel

As we head up towards the Homer Tunnel, on the right hand side you can see the remains of a camp including the oven in which the meals and bread were cooked. The shed to the left was designed to house the snow plough and was built in 1983. After its construction it was found that the doorway had not been made wide enough and the plough was not able to be housed there. It is now kept at the camp at Knobs Flat. The building today is known as the Chapel as it is one of the few areas of this region that has never been affected by avalanche.

Pass by without stopping
8
Milford Sound / Piopiotahi

Our Premium Cruise vessel has been specifically designed to capture the views of Milford Sound with its unique glass roof and large viewing decks. The ‘Pride of Milford’ offers an outstanding experience never seen in Milford Sound with an exceptional level of comfort and hospitality. A selection of snacks and noodles can be purchased on board along with a wide range of drinks from New Zealand and around the world. Visit the stunning Milford Sound on board an equally premium vessel that will look after you and your unique experience.

1 hour 45 minutes
9
Mitre Peak

Located on the shore of Milford Sound. It is one of the most photographed peaks in the country. Part of the reason for its iconic status is its location. Close to the shore of Milford Sound, in the Fiordland National Park in the southwestern South Island, it is a stunning sight. The mountain rises near vertically to 5,560 feet (1,690 m), i.e. just over a mile, from the water of Milford Sound, which technically is a fjord. The peak is actually a closely grouped set of five peaks, with Mitre Peak not even the tallest one, however from most easily accessible viewpoints, Mitre Peak appears as a single point. Milford Sound is part of Te Wahipounamu, a World Heritage Site as declared by UNESCO.

Pass by without stopping
10
Kiwi Country

Te Anau is known as the Walking Capital of the World. The mountains to the left are the Kepler Mountains, home of the Kepler Track, one of the popular walking tracks in the area. Te Anau is the gateway to Milford Sound and the Fiordland National Park. The town has a permanent population of approximately 2,500 people but this fluctuates greatly in summer when the town gets an influx of fishermen, hunters, outdoor pursuit seekers and holiday makers. It’s a popular holiday destination. We stop here for morning & afternoon breaks and comfort stops.

15 minutes

From Queenstown: Milford Sound Cruise & Glass-Roof Coach Tour

Tour Overview

What's Included

Not Included:

What To Expect

GreatSights

Lake Wakatipu

Kiwi Country

Eglinton Valley

Mirror Lakes Walk

Monkey Creek

Homer Tunnel

Milford Sound / Piopiotahi

Mitre Peak

Kiwi Country

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

End point

Important Information

Additional Info

Cancellation Policy