What to bring to Milford Sound

What should you pack for a Milford Sound day trip?

Layers, a waterproof jacket, insect repellent, sunscreen, water, snacks, a charged phone and a card. The operators' own lists add sturdy shoes, sunglasses and a camera.

• A waterproof jacket: in every season. Milford gets rain on about half the days of the year, and the boat goes into waterfall spray on a dry day too.
• Warm layers: a fleece or light down jacket for the outer deck.
• Comfortable shoes: for the photo stops and short walks, which can be wet.
• Insect repellent: for the sandflies at the foreshore and the car parks.
• Sunscreen and sunglasses: the New Zealand sun burns fast, even through cloud.
• Water and snacks: one cafe at Milford, none on the road after Te Anau.
• A charged phone and a power bank: with offline maps and your booking saved.
• A card and some cash: see the money section below.
• Motion sickness tablets: if you need them, taken before the bends.

DOC's visitor advice for Milford lists warm clothing, wet weather gear, insect repellent, sunscreen, drinking water and snacks. The coach and cruise day adds sturdy shoes, a good raincoat and a camera to the same list.

What should you wear to Milford Sound?

Layers you can add and remove, with a waterproof, windproof jacket on top, and closed shoes. Skip jeans and cotton: once wet, they stay cold.

The average high at Milford runs from 9.2°C in July to 20.0°C in February, and the outer deck of a moving boat feels colder than that. On a sunny day the wind on the water is cool; on a wet day it is cold. Every boat has an indoor cabin with big windows, so you can come in and out, but the best views and the waterfall spray are outside.

When the boat noses into Stirling Falls, everyone on the bow gets wet, whatever the sky is doing. A waterproof jacket with a hood beats an umbrella, which the wind takes. In winter add a warm hat and gloves; frost on the photo stops is common from June to August. For what each month is like, see the best time to visit Milford Sound.

Do you need insect repellent at Milford Sound?

Yes. Sandflies, namu in te reo Māori, bite at the foreshore, the car parks and the photo stops. Put repellent on before you step off the coach.

Only the females bite, and the bites itch for days. Health New Zealand says sandflies bite mostly at dawn and dusk, and that repellents with diethyl toluamide (DEET) or dimethyl phthalate work best; reapply through the day and cover your ankles and feet when you stand still, according to its sandfly page. Antihistamine cream or calamine helps afterwards.

Wind and rain keep sandflies down, so they are worst on still, warm days, the very days you will want to stand on the foreshore for the Mitre Peak photo. The cafe at Milford sells repellent, but bring your own: you need it at the first stop.

Do you need to bring food on a Milford Sound tour?

It depends on the tour. Lunch is included on the coach and cruise day, the small group and the VIP cruise. On the other coaches it is an extra, and the plane and boat cruise serves no food at all.

What each tour on this site includes, from the GetYourGuide listings:

Twelve guests, priority boarding and a private Captain's VIP Lounge with hot and cold food and drinks included. Too new to judge on reviews.

★ 5.0 · 12.5 hours · from $271

Check dates → Tour details

Do you need cash at Milford Sound?

Bring a card and a little cash. Phone and internet are limited, so card machines can struggle, but the Milford car park machines take cards only, and some boats are cashless.

The glass-roof coach listing recommends bringing cash because of limited phone service and internet at Milford. Milford Sound Lodge says the parking machines take debit or credit cards only. The Doubtful Sound boat is card only. Carry both and you are covered.

New Zealand has no tipping culture. If a driver made your day, a thank-you and a good review are normal; cash is optional. The cafe on the waterfront sells coffee, light meals, raincoats and insect repellent, at Milford prices.

Is there phone signal on the way to Milford Sound?

No. There is no mobile coverage on the Milford Road, only card phones at Knobs Flat and Milford and a satellite phone at the Homer Tunnel for emergencies. Coverage at Milford is limited.

Save what you need before you leave Queenstown or Te Anau: your booking confirmation, the operator's phone number, the pickup point, and an offline map. Rie from Japan waited at her pickup while “the buses of other companies kept leaving one after another”, and wished she had known the colour of her coach in advance. Ask the operator about it when they confirm your pickup.

A power bank is worth carrying. The premium coach has USB charging and the VIP van has USB-C, but the others may not. Coverage is also patchy between Queenstown and Te Anau, according to Fiordland tourism's road fact sheet.

A glass-roof coach with USB charging and commentary in several languages through the app, plus a 2-hour cruise to the Tasman Sea.

★ 4.6 · 12.5 hours · from $159

Check dates → Tour details

Will you get motion sick on a Milford Sound trip?

Possibly, on the road or in a small plane. The fiord itself is usually calm; the boats turn near the open Tasman Sea, where swell can rock them.

The Milford Road winds through the mountains for two hours each way, and Lillian from Australia, on the cruise and coach tour, praised her driver for looking after her when she felt motion sick on the drive back. Take tablets before the bends, not after, and sit near the front.

The flights are bumpier. Gessica from the USA, on the plane and boat trip: “the flight is not one for nervous flyers [...] take some motion sickness medicine as well!” The VIP cruise listing says it is not suitable for people prone to seasickness. If the plane worries you, coach or fly weighs the two.

What should you leave at the hotel?

Big bags, drones and pets. Some tours add their own rules: no luggage on the small group, no drones on the plane and boat trip, and weight limits on both flights.

Rules from the listings and DOC:

What changes by season?

Summer adds sunscreen, a sun hat and more repellent; winter adds a warm hat, gloves and the dark at both ends of the day; spring adds the heaviest waterproofs.

• December to February: sunscreen, a hat that stays on in wind, water, and repellent for the still, warm evenings.
• March to May: a warmer layer from April; May is wet.
• June to August: hat, gloves, a warm jacket, and a torch for a pickup before sunrise. If you drive, chains when signs require them.
• September to November: your best waterproofs; September and October have the most rain days of the year.

If the forecast is grim, pack better rather than cancel: see Milford Sound weather and cancellations.

Frequently asked questions