Queenstown and Milford Sound

Are you thinking of visiting Queenstown and Milford Sound?

Located on New Zealand's stunning South Island, Queenstown and Milford Sound are two of New Zealand's most popular holiday experiences.

We love them both, and can highly recommend them as part of any South Island adventure.

Read on for some essential information about these two hot spots.

Where are Queenstown and Milford Sound?

Queenstown is located in the central southern part of the South Island, around 6-7 hours drive South of Christchurch. The surrounding region is known as Central Otago and the Southern Lakes, and also includes the towns of Wanaka and Cromwell.

Milford Sound is part of the World Heritage listed Fiordland National Park, and is located on the South Island's south western coast.

Are Queenstown and Milford Sound very far apart?

Looking at a map, it's easy to assume that Queenstown and Milford Sound are just a short distance apart. In a direct line, it's less than 80 kilometres between the two.

However, between them sits the sizeable obstacle known as the Southern Alps. The alps stretch for almost the entire length of the South Island and are only traversed by road at a few mountain passes (Arthur's Pass, Lewis Pass and Haast Pass), and at the Crown Range Road (Queenstown to Wanaka) and the Milford Road. 

So to get to Milford Sound by road from Queenstown involves a one way drive of 4-5 hours, as you need to skirt around the bottom of the alps. 

Over the years there have been talks of building a tunnel through the alps to bring Queenstown and Milford Sound closer, but in the short term, visitors face a lengthy drive.

Why are the two destinations linked?

Queenstown has long been a base for exploration of the region, and many holiday itineraries include multi-night stays in Queenstown.

There are regular daily tours to Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound from Queenstown, with several tour companies basing themselves in Queenstown. The tours are wonderful, and in our opinion, it's always better to relax in an air-conditioned coach, listening to expert commentary, and stopping along the way at some of the main highlights.  These tours typically last between 12-13 hours, leaving Queenstown around 6am and returning in the evening. The tours include your coach transport to and from Queenstown, and your Milford Sound cruise. In our opinion, this is a much better (and safer) option and sure beats driving yourself on unfamiliar roads.

The other option is a tour that involves flights between Queenstown and Milford Sound. These are a more expensive option, but offer a much shorter journey, and views that are hard to describe. The downside, is that the weather between Queenstown and Fiordland changes at short notice, leading to flight cancellations.

You can see a range of tours using the widget below.

Are there other options if we want to drive ourselves?

Fortunately, around 2-2.5 hours drive from Milford Sound, the main Fiordland service town, Te Anau, offers a wonderful option. We often recommend spending 2 or 3 nights here, using a day to explore Milford Sound and another day to visit Doubtful Sound or the glowworm caves. This makes the drive to Milford Sound much less taxing.

Te Anau is a beautiful lakeside getaway and has a good range of accommodation, cafes, bars and restaurants. It's also just a 20 minute drive from the village of Manapouri, the departure point for Doubtful Sound tours (just in case you are wondering, Doubtful Sound is not accessible by road). Te Anau also has an excellent Department of Conservation (DOC) visitor centre.

For somewhere special to stay, have a look at Fiordland Lodge. Wow!

Is there much to do in Queenstown?

Where do we start? Firstly, if you have a look at the options in our NAV bar, there's a wealth of information about the wonders of Queenstown. You could say that we are just a little biased, but hey, come and have a look and you will understand why.

So rather than flood you with information here, we'll just give you a few highlights:

Some Relaxing things to do in Queenstown

Take in the views at the Skyline Gondola complex

This is one of our all time favourite Queenstown attractions.

High above Queenstown on Bob's Peak, the Skyline Gondola is a must do if you are visiting Queenstown.

Jaw dropping views, a cafe, the Stratosfare Restaurant (book a window seat for dinner), access to mountain bike trails, the intoxicating luge, and a gift shop make this somewhere to spend several hours.

See Queenstown from the water on the historic TSS Earnslaw

The historic TSS Earnslaw cruises Lake Wakatipu, and gives a different perspective of this stunning landscape.

You can choose from cruises on the lake, or packages that include a lunch or dinner at Walter Peak High Country Farm,  a working sheep station. You can also include a farm tour, or a horseback trek.

The TSS Earnslaw has an onboard cafe (try the hot muffins - yum) and a small museum.

These popular tours are heavily booked so get in early.

Take a stroll through the Queenstown Gardens

The Queenstown Gardens are easily accessible, adjoining the town centre.

There's a variety of trails for walking and cycling, beautiful gardens, an ice rink, and frisbee golf.

The gardens are also home to the Queenstown Bowling Club and the Queenstown Tennis Club, so there's lots to see and do here.

It's a wonderful family friendly spot, and appeals to all ages.

Looking for some adrenalin charged activities in Queenstown?

This is the home of bungy, so give it a try

At Kawarau Gorge, the AJ Hackett Bungy centre is perhaps the best known bungy location in the world. The  historic Kawarau Bridge was the world's first commercial bungy site, and it's where we took the 43 metre leap more than 20 years ago. What an amazing experience. 

But for some, that's just not high enough. Never fear, because the 134 metre Nevis bungy is sure to satisfy any bungy desire., and the leap from a pod suspended above the Nevis River is real heart pumping stuff.

Did you know that jetboats were invented here?

Back in the 1950s, a clever Kiwi farmer named Bill Hamilton needed a way to navigate the shallow rivers on his farm. And so the jetboat was born.

The first time we went on one, we raced up the Kawarau River, and as we approached what looked like some very shallow rapids, we wondered when the skipper was going to stop. But he didn't. He just kept going, and the jetboat skimmed the surface.

Queenstown has a variety of jetboat experiences like the iconic Shotover and Kawarau experiences, and the fabulous backcountry Dart River experience.

More things to do in queenstown

You can search a wide range of Queenstown activities using the widget below.