Milford Sound and Fiordland National Park

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Te Wahipounamu South West New Zealand (1990). A Glacier Carved Fiord Where Sheer Rock Walls Rise Straight From The Water To Mitre Peak'S 1,692 Metre Summit, Reached By One Of The World'S Most Scenic Roads Through Fiordland National Park, With Waterfalls That Multiply After Rain And Pods Of Resident Dolphins And Fur Seals In The Sound Itself · Milford Sound, Southland

Milford Sound - known in Maori as Piopiotahi - is a glacier-carved fiord in Fiordland National Park on New Zealand's South Island, where sheer rock walls rise straight from dark water to Mitre Peak's 1,692 metre summit. It sits within Te Wahipounamu (the place of greenstone, or pounamu), a UNESCO World Heritage Area inscribed in 1990, and within land of deep significance to Ngai Tahu, the South Island's principal Maori iwi. Waterfalls multiply after rain, which falls here in extraordinary volume - Fiordland is among the wettest inhabited parts of the world - and permanent falls including Stirling Falls and Lady Bowen Falls drop straight into the sound year round. Bottlenose dolphins, New Zealand fur seals and the shy Fiordland crested penguin are regularly seen on the water itself. The only way in by land is the Milford Road, one of the world's most scenic drives, winding through beech forest and the Homer Tunnel before the fiord opens out below. Sandflies are a genuine, relentless presence onshore, whatever the season.

At the end of the Milford Road in Fiordland National Park, south-west New Zealand, Milford Sound, Southland, New Zealand

Milford Sound itself has no gate and is viewable from Milford Road lookouts at any hour, though cruise and kayak departures run on fixed daytime timetables, typically 8:30am to 3:30pm, with extra early departures added in summer. The visitor area and cafe keep standard hours, roughly 8am to 5pm. The Milford Road, the only land access, closes without notice for avalanche control or snow clearance in winter and after heavy rain - check NZTA road status before driving, not an earlier trip's memory. Overnight cruises depart once daily, weather permitting, and are cancelled rather than delayed if conditions turn genuinely unsafe.

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