Milford Sound, located at the southern end of New Zealand’s South Island, is known for its towering peaks, cascading waterfalls (so many…) and rainforest atmosphere (read: muggy and buggy).
The drive into Fiordland National Park, and to Milford Sound specifically, is spectacular in its own right. Most of the park is inaccessible except on foot or by boat. That once included Milford Sound itself, which had no easy access until 1954, when a road, delayed for years by the Great Depression and World War II, was finally completed.
As you approach the end of the road, the mountain walls grow larger, and the fjord opens before you. It rained heavily on our first day, which was initially disappointing. We soon learned, however, that most of the waterfalls in Milford Sound are ephemeral, appearing only after it rains. With the heavy rain, waterfalls seemed to pour from every cliff face. There were hundreds of them—perhaps even thousands. Just a few days later, most had disappeared.
We were fortunate to spend several nights in Milford Sound, while most visitors experience it as a day trip. That gave us the chance to explore the fjord in both rain and sunshine, to photograph it in beautiful light and more challenging conditions, and to learn from several excellent guides who added just enough context to deepen our appreciation of why this is considered one of New Zealand’s natural treasures.
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As an aside, Milford Sound isn’t a sound. It’s technically a fjord (you can blame Capt Cook for the mistake). Fjords are carved by glaciers, and sounds are created by river erosion and usually don’t have such steep walls (fjords typically have steeper mountains on either side). By the time they discovered this, it was too late to change the name, I suppose. So, they called the whole national park Fiordland National Park. But then misspelled Fjord. Ok, this last part isn’t entirely true – it is an acceptable spelling, thanks to the English.
All photos from March, 2026.
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