JUCY Cruize Highlights

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1. JUCY Cruize Milfor Sound - Milford Sound Visitor Centre (Milford Wharf Terminal) and Boat Harbour.
2. Bowen Falls (Lady Bowen Falls) - Named after the wife of Sir George Bowen, one of New Zealand’s early governors in the 1870’s. This spectacular waterfall is one of only two permanent falls and drops 160 metres from a classic hanging valley in the Darren Mountain Range.
3. Sinbad Gully - This classic U-shaped valley formed by the slopes of Mt Phillips, the Llawrenny Peaks, Mitre Peak and Milford’s smallest mountain, the Footstool, is where the once thought extinct Kakapo bird was rediscovered.
4. Mitre Peak - One of the tallest mountains in the world to rise directly from the sea floor. Rising to a height of 1692 metres, Mitre Peak forms one of the most dominant and photographed landmarks of Milford Sound. So named due to the top 450 metres closely resembling the shape of a Bishop’s headpiece.
5. Copper Point - Named for the presence of copper in the rock. At 620 metres wide it is Milford’s narrowest and windiest point. By the afternoon on sunny days, the warming air inside the fiord rises and is replaced by cooler air drawn from the Tasman Sea which can gust up to 100 knots through this point. The breeze then dies away again in the evening.
6. Fairy Falls - One of the few waterfalls to drop straight into the fiord.
7. Bridal Veil Falls - So named as it resembles a brides veil. This is a semi-permanent waterfall that is most impressive after heavy rain.
8. Dale Point - Marks the northern entrance into Milford Sound. Beyond this point is the Tasman Sea, from where it is almost impossible to see Milford Sound. This is why it was missed by Captain Cook and many other vessels for so long.
9. Seal Rock - The New Zealand Fur Seal inhabits Milford Sound all year round. This rock is one of the few points that these seals are able to climb out of the water and are almost always present here.
10. Stirling Falls - Drops 146 metres from a beautiful U-shaped hanging valley carved out between Elephant and Lion Mountains. Stirling Falls is the second largest permanent waterfall in the fiord and is fed by glaciers situated in the mountains behind. Named after Captain Stirling when he brought the HMS Cleo into Milford Sound during the 1870’s.
11. Mt Kimberley - This rock formation also known as Lion Mountain, rises to a height of 1302 metres. Aptly named as it resembles a crouching lion.
12. Harrison's Cove - The only natural and most importantly, sheltered, anchorage in Milford Sound and home to Milford Underwater Observatory. The Underwater Observatory is a great stop for those interested in seeing the unique aquatic conditions and marine life of Milford Sound and Black Coral growing at 9 metres below the surface.
13. Mt Pembroke - The Pembroke glacier is over 1 million years old and sits on the tallest mountain to look down to the fiord at just over 2000 metres high. It was once one of the great glaciers over successive glacial advances that carved out Milford Sound.
14. Cascade Range - During heavy rain this mountain range comes alive with waterfalls.
15. Milford Airport - On a sunny day the Milford Air Strip becomes a very busy airport providing sightseeing flights between Milford, Queenstown, Wanaka and Te Anau.

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Driving the Milford Road

SELF DRIVE DRIVING TIMES:

• Queenstown - Te Anau: 185 kilometres (2 hours)
• Te Anau - Milford Sound: 121 kilometres (2 hours)

 

JUCY Tip!: Make sure you fill your vehicle with petrol prior to leaving Te Anau. There are no petrol stations available in Milford Sound. Add an extra 15 minutes to your journey as there are regular delays at the Homer Tunnel traffic lights.

1. At 30kms into your journey you’re in Te Anau Downs. This sheltered harbour is the departure point for Milford Track walkers.
2. At 45kms into your journey you’re in Boyd Creek. If you have some time and want to stretch your legs take the 250m walk to view the waterfalls.
3. At 59kms into your journey you’re in Mirror Lakes. Here you will find a boardwalk that leads through an attractive beech forest and wetlands with pools reflecting the Earl Mountains.
4. At 60kms into your journey you’re making your way past The Avenue of Disappearing Mountains. While you drive you will notice that the mountains seem as to sink into the surrounding beech forest! This is an optical illusion created by the slowly rising road.
5. At 61kms into your journey you’re at the 45th South Parallel! This road crosses the half way point between the Equator and the South Pole.
6. At 65kms into your journey you’re in Knobs Flat. The name Knobs Flat comes from the rich terrain where kames and hummocks are left behind by retreating glaciers. Here you will also find amenities such as a toilet stop, campsite and phone.
7. At 77kms into your journey you’re at Cascade Creek/Lake Gunn. Here you will find a nature walk along a loop track through a red beech forest and along the lake edge.
8. At 86kms into your journey you’re at the Divide and Key Summit. This is the lowest east to west pass in the Southern Alps. It is also the starting point of walking tracks to Key Summit, the Routebum, Greenstone and Caples Tracks. The Summit walk (3 hours return) will take you through native beech forest, open ground of tussocks, alpine tarns, shrub land and bogs. The Key Summit viewpoint (918m) provides a spectacular view of the Eglinton, Hollyford and Greenstone Valleys.
9. At 88kms into your journey you’re at Hollyford Valley Lookout. This lookout provides an excellent view over the Hollyford Valley and Darren Mountains.
10. At 89kms into your journey you’re at Marian Corner. 1km down the no-exit, Lower Hollyford Road Junction is the Lake Marion Track. From here you are approximately 10 minutes away from waterfalls. This track then climbs steeply to a hanging valley and Lake Marian. This journey takes 3 hours return. 4kms along the Hollyford Road you will fi nd Pass Creek Track which links to the Routeburn and Greenstone Tracks at Lake Howden. From here, 8kms down the road you will find Gunns Camp and 16kms to the road end you will fi nd the Hollyford to Martins Bay track. There is also a short side-track here that takes you to the 275m high Humbolt Falls.
11. At 96kms into your journey you’re at the Monkey Creek Bridge and Lyttle’s Flat. This provides great views of the upper Hollyford Valley.
12. At 101kms into your journey you’re in Gertrude Valley. A track takes you to a high valley of largely unmodifi ed sub-alpine vegetation. A trip to the head of the valley beneath the Barrier wall is 1.5 hours return.
13. At 102kms into your journey you’re at Homer Tunnel. At 922m this is the highest point on the Milford Road. Before the tunnel you will find parking bays at the side of the road where the native mountain parrot named the Kea is frequently seen. The Homer Tunnel which opened in 1954 was once the longest gravel-surfaced tunnel in the world (Wikipedia, 24/12/2010). This tunnel descends 129m over its 1.2m length, has a gradient of 1 in 10 and exits at an elevation of 793m.
14. At 110kms into your journey you’re at The Chasm. Via a concrete and decked track, take an easy stroll through a luxuriant forest which provides access to a 22m deep ravine where the Cleddau River has cut through the rock (diorite), carving fascinating formations in this landscape.
15. At 112kms into your journey you will reach a view of Mt Tutuko (2723m). This is the highest and most glaciated peak in Fiordland National Park.
16. At 122kms into your journey you have
    reached the Milford Visitors Centre and Boat Terminal. Take an easy 5 minute walk from the parking area to the boat terminal building and wharf. The Jucy Cruize Desk can be found on your right, at the main entrance.