Driving from Te Anau to Milford Sound: A Local’s Top Tips

We 100% recommend renting a car and driving to Milford Sound from Te Anau. You can drive at your own pace, stop at all the pretty sights for a photo, make an all-important coffee pitstop, and stop when you need a bathroom break. The pro list is endless, in our opinion, for self-driving to this natural wonder of the world.

Most tourists to Milford Sound come in a day from Queenstown – a 4-hour drive away. Hence, we don’t recommend doing that specific drive in one day – that’s a whopping 8 hours of driving. That’s not taking into account the traffic you will indefinitely encounter on the narrow roads into Milford Sound. So, 8 hours could quickly turn into 10 hours.

Instead of going to Milford Sound from Queenstown in one day, we highly recommend spending the night in the pretty little town of Te Anau and leaving early the next morning to catch your cruise of Milford Sound. The drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound only took us 1 hour 40 minutes. We left at 7:30 am and didn’t encounter much traffic. We were able to catch the 10 am cruise, beating all the coach tourists who typically get the 12 pm or later cruises. Winning!

In this piece, we will tell you the most photogenic spots to stop at on the drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound, as well as give you the lowdown on road conditions, how much we spent and many more insider tips.

Top Tip: We tend to always book our rental car through Discover Cars – which is a search engine for rental cars and allows you to filter by price if you’re on a budget or by vehicle type if there’s a specific car you’re after.

Where should I stop on the road to Milford Sound?

The road between Te Anau and Milford Sound is 118 kilometers, which means the drive will take you around 1.5 hours without stops! But not stopping would be a real shame, considering this drive is regarded as one of the prettiest road trips in the world. I advise allowing half a day to see all the sights I’ve listed below.

1. Eglinton Valley

About 40 minutes from Te Anau, you will find the very photogenic Eglinton Valley.

This valley was carved out by glaciers thousands of years ago. Today, steep rocky mountains covered in native beech forest line the valley. The flat floor of the valley is covered in luminous golden tussock grass. Luckily – there are lots of safe spaces for you to pull in and take lots of photos.

2. Knobs Flat

A little further up the road from Eglinton Valley is the equally gorgeous Knobs Flat. We pulled into the campsite car park for our photos. Importantly, Knobs Flat is also the last flush toilet before you reach Milford Sound.

3. Mirror Lakes

Within the Eglinton Valley, you’ll come across the aptly named Mirror Lakes. Which gets its name from the mirror effect on the lake on a calm day – yep, on a still day, the surrounding Earl Mountains will be reflected on the surface of the lake. So photogenic!

As you drive, you’ll see a small pullover bay on the side of the road. Pull in here and walk the short 400-meter trail into the lake.

4. Hollyford Valley Look Out

This just a quick stop as it’s just a viewpoint – but a gorgeous one at that! From here, you can see the Darren Mountains and into the scenic Hollyford Valley. But beware, the tiny car park for this viewpoint is on a sharp bend so be mindful of anyone driving behind you before pulling off the road.

5. Homer Tunnel

The famous Homer Tunnel on the Milford road signals the start of your descent through the Cleddau Valley and into Milford Sound. It may not seem like it at first glance, but the tunnel is wide enough for a bus and a small vehicle to pass each other. However, traffic lights operate during the busy summer months to keep it safe.

The scenery before you enter the tunnel is gorgeous, especially on a rainy day, with lots of narrow waterfalls cascading from the surrounding cliffs. Driving through the tunnel is an experience in itself. Honestly, I was terrified.

6. The Chasm

My last suggested stop before getting to Milford Sound is a mighty waterfall called The Chasm. Honestly, the amount of water that gushes off this steep waterfall is mindblowing – and it’s especially fierce after rainfall! It’s around a 20-minute stroll into the falls, and there are two bridges at the end, which give you the best view of the falls!

Renting a Car in New Zealand

New Zealand is best explored by road-tripping, so it is a good idea to rent a car in New Zealand if you are visiting from overseas. Doing so enables you to travel around at your leisure and go to places you otherwise would not be able to get to.

It might be costly to do so, and you will have to be mindful of topping up petrol or electricity, depending on the type of vehicle you get. However, you will be able to go wherever you want, whenever you want, without being constrained by timetables or other people.

Aside from transportation, having access to rental cars also provides you with a place to store your belongings, meaning you won’t have to lug backpacks around with you everywhere. Moreover, it can give you shelter, which can be very handy if the rain, wind or even snow picks up when you are out and about, and a safe place to have a quick 40 winks, should the exertions of touring around take its toll. 

As I said we always use Discover Cars for our rental car needs. It is a search engine for rental cars and allows you to filter by price if you’re on a budget or by vehicle type if there’s a specific car you’re after.

Tips for Driving Between Te Anau and Milford Sound

• Make sure you fill your tank up before departing Te Anau – Be aware that there are no petrol stations between Te Anau and Milford Sound. There is a small petrol station in Milford Sound (surprisingly, the prices are competitive). There is also very limited cellphone coverage on the road.

• Make sure you stock up on supplies in Te Anau – There are no stores or coffee shops on the road from Te Anau to Milford. If you’re leaving Te Anau early in the morning like we did, there are a few coffee shops in town that open at 7 am. We recommend Sandfly Cafe and Wapiti Bakery. Freshchoice supermarket also opens at 7 am.

• There are limited toilets on the drive – And most of them are portaloos. However, there are flush toilets at Knobs Flat which we recommend using. All the toilet stops on the Milford Road are signposted.

• Be careful of the other drivers on the road – On the road to Milford Sound, you will come across tourists driving really slowly. Randomly stopping in the middle of the road to take a photo or turning off without indicating. There are also “Fast & the Furious” wannabes who drive at least 20 km over the limit and overtake where they shouldn’t. You definitely need to have your wits about you on the Milford Road. If you’re an inexperienced driver, we do not recommend driving this road!

What is There to Do in Milford Sound?

Go on a cruise

Of course, the number one thing to do in Milford Sound is to go on a boat cruise to explore the fiords and get up close to the waterfalls and wildlife here. When we visited, we were keen for a more personalized experience, so we booked this small boutique cruise experience. Operated by Cruise Milford, this boutique boat has a maximum capacity of 75 guests. Meaning you’re getting a less-crowded and more personalized experience. A win-win in the most-visited part of the country!

We were lucky as there were only 30 people on our cruise. Bliss! The smaller boat can get up close and personal with the waterfalls as well as Milford’s famous seal residents. It’s also an hour and 45 minute long cruise, in comparison to the 90-minute cruise time of most other operators.

As you cruise through the almost-black waters of the sound, your local skipper will detail the history of the area and point out any sights or wildlife (like penguins or seals) he spots along the way!

Tickets for this boutique cruise are $149 NZD per person, and included is free tea, coffee and, biscuits on-board!

Visit the Milford Sound Swing

Ah, the Milford Sound swing – you’ve probably seen the gorgeous photos on your Instagram feed. That’s how I first came across it. The Milford Sound swing has the most epic view of Mitre Peak and the surrounding Milford landscape. So, I was obviously very keen to check it out on our recent visit to Milford Sound.

Did you know the Milford Sound swing is actually quite hard to find? It’s not signposted or anything. I guess the locals want to keep it a secret. The story goes that a local worker made this swing for his girlfriend so she could enjoy it on her days off. Now, that’s pretty sweet!

To help you out, I’ve written a detailed guide on how to find the Milford Sound Swing!

Walk the Foreshore Walk

We recommend walking the Foreshore Walk before or after your boat cruise; it’s only 400 meters long and will take just 15 minutes to complete. And it boasts some great photo opportunities of Mitre Peak! It’s typically uncrowded too as most tourists just come here to do a boat cruise and leave!

Where to Stay in Te Anau (the closest town to Milford Sound)

If you fancy spending the night in Te Anau, we highly recommend Kingsgate Hotel. It is situated just a two-minute walk into Te Anua and conveniently, Lake Te Anau is across the road. Be sure to watch the sunset on Lake Te Anau.

The restaurant options in Te Anau are surprisingly good. We loved Paradiso Pizzeria, an authentic Italian with excellent wood-fired pizzas. We also loved Bao Now a food-truck serving delicious Vietnamese fare.

Some of the best places to stay in Te Anau include –

• Te Anau Lakefront Backpackers – Conveniently located smack-bang in the middle of Te Anau CBD, this hostel offers private rooms or a bed in a dorm. And is the perfect choice if you’re on a budget! It’s a super-friendly hostel and is a great place to meet like-minded travelers. Facilities include a communal kitchen, free WiFi and free parking. Expect to pay around $40 NZD for a bed in a dorm here.
• Kingsgate Hotel – This is where we stayed and we loved it’s lakefront location – walking up to Lake Te Anau every morning was bliss! The rooms are comfortable and modern, the on-site restaurant (Jimmy Cooks) is great and, free parking is offered too. It ticked all the boxes for us. Expect to pay around $149 NZD per room per night here!
• Fiordland Lakeview Motel and Apartments – If you want a luxurious place to stay in Te Anau, this is the spot for you! With balconies off every room (which are all stylishly decorated, FYI), a kitchen area in the apartments, and BBQ facilities on-site, it’s a brilliant option for families. A one-bedroom apartment here starts at $260 NZD.

Thanks for Reading!

There you have it, our top tips for driving from Te Anau to Milford Sound. It’s what we believe to be one of the most beautiful drives in the world. We drove it this past weekend, and it was unforgettable. We made lots of photo stops as you can see from all the photos in this piece.

Have you driven to Milford Sound? If so, what did you think? Are there are any other important facts we should include in this piece?

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy reading some of my other most popular blog posts, such as –

Can you visit Queenstown New Zealand on a budget (A Locals Money-Saving Guide)

How to have the BEST 24 hours in Queenstown

11 of the best photography spots in Queenstown

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Last Updated on May 23, 2024 by snaphappytravel