Driving to Milford Sound is an experience in itself, a hair-raising winding road along cliffs with stunning views. Being there in the off season we only had to worry about our own driving which was great, because in the busy season when that road is packed with cars and lots of drivers maybe not used to driving on the left side of the road it would be extra dangerous.

Driving to Milford Sound

Kayaking in Milford Sound

I cannot recommend enough going to Milford Sound in the off season. It’s a little chilly but hopefully when you’re kayaking you won’t actually be in the water. The benefit is that there just aren’t any people. We booked a guided kayak tour and we were the only people on it, which allowed for a lot of flexibility and our guide was great about tailoring the experience for us since there was no one else. We spent a while kayaking alongside a sea lion, and headed pretty far out into the sound for the amount of time we had.

While we were waiting to head out we also got to see some kia terrorize the area and attempt to eat a jeep.

Driving back from Milford Sound

We did a fair amount of the drive out in the dark, so heading back to Queenstown we got to see a whole new set of view, and we stopped at Reflection Ponds. Important lesson is that when you budget your time for the drive, you need to budget in impromptu stops for views and casual strolls (and pies, not pictured).