An extended and leisurely cruise of Milford Sound to the Tasman Sea on a cruise designed for the free, independent traveler. Nature cruises have a relaxed and flexible itinerary designed to allow guests to see and experience what makes Milford Sound world renowned. Spend around two hours nudging into waterfalls, spotting wildlife and listening to the informative commentary from our specialist Nature Guide who mingles with guests. Keep a look out for wildlife including seals, dolphins and penguins.
If you wish to pre-purchase a picnic lunch, please contact the supplier directly after making your booking.
In total, the coach travel from Queenstown to Milford is around 5 hours. This includes with some viewing spot breaks along the way and a 20-30 minutes stop in Te Anau. For those travelling from Te Anau the journey is around 2.5 hours to Milford (one way). The cruise is 2 hours long.
Please note, the cruise will take place on board a wide selection of purpose built RealNZ boats.
Posted By : Pamela_V
Great experience, Nathan the driver was super nice, the coch and the boat were nice and big. If you are not a big fan of road trips this is not for you, it will take 6 hours to get to Milford sounds from Queenstown and 4 to go back. But it is a beyond beautiful!
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Posted On : 2024-05-06 22:49:43 
Posted By : fionamsh
Very well organized. The bus was comfortable and the glass ceiling a bonus for high mountain views. It was a bit of a squeeze though and not much space for a bag/ backpack.( If you are a larger build I'd recommend having a conversation with them before you book to ensure you will be comfortable). Our driver, Brian, was great fun and informative. We made several stops for photos on the way. The boat trip was wonderful and thecaptain/ guide friendly and informative. It was a beautiful sunny day but very cold out on the deck so dress warmly! We very much enjoyed the whole experience and definitely recommend it. We were on the Sovereign.
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Posted On : 2024-05-02 16:04:47 
Posted By : ginsengNewYork
Milford Sound is gorgeous, but getting there can be awful if you choose the wrong company, which is what we did with RealNZ!!!
Uncomfortable 10 hour bus ride: Seats are narrow, so good luck if you have long legs. No toilets either on board! And no space for a small backpack...
Poor time management! Our driver got to Milford Sound late and told us to run to our boat as it was leaving, which proved difficult as the quay is full of different groups trying to get on the right boat.
Never again!
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Posted On : 2024-04-28 14:21:04
Posted By : 230cherissek
The coach trip to and from the cruise was good and the tour guide, Bruce, was very helpful and informative. We made a few stops along the way for pictures and the coach was large and comfortable with huge glass windows and a glass roof. However the positive coach ride was not followed by a positive boat cruise. It was a unorganised chaos of people running everywhere and pushing past eachother, it was like people had never been out before. There was no queuing system and people were pushing to the front and barging through. I was hit with umbrellas several times and also had my feet stood on many times too.
About 99% of tables were reserved for tours, buffet food and other food options so if you tried to save money, like me, you didn’t have a seat option reserved and had to walk round and round hoping to find a seat, this was near on impossible as I was one of the last to board the boat.
The whole journey was carnage and everyone was shouting and speaking so loud you can’t even hear the caption speaking and informing you of your surroundings. I understand the company cannot help the weather but it was so misty and cloudy you couldn’t even see the amazing views that you paid to visit. I at least expect to be able to hear about the history and facts about the area. Had I of been able to hear the announcements, the madness and stress of the unorganised people would have been worth it but instead I had to listen to everyone shouting and seeing no views for the entire journey.
I wouldn’t recommend this company purely because of their lack of control of the guests on board and the inconsideration of people who have bought their own lunch. I paid a lot of money for this tour and didn’t enjoy the main attraction.
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Posted On : 2024-04-21 23:43:23
Posted By : 495sonjat
Such a great trip. Much preferred taking the cruise from te anau so we could look at the scenery. We had heavy rains it was awesome. Bruce our driver was great
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Posted On : 2024-04-20 01:17:19
Posted By : Gerald_L
Brilliant Coach Driver with his commentary. Awesome views. the Captain on our boat Milford Haven went the extra mile to show us sights close up.
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Posted On : 2024-04-14 01:37:36
Posted By : E7681SNcindyb
We were very pleasantly surprised with the whole experience, from booking online, to the check-in, the bus ride, and the boat, everything was seamless and easy. We were expecting a gong show, but it was anything but. Our bus driver from Te Anau, Reynald, was excellent, providing pertinent information along the way, and stopping at prime locations that weren't too busy. It was a very comfortable trip. The boat was excellent too, not over crowded, and again the comentary from the guide was very enlightening. We were going to drive to Milford ourselves, but are happy we didn't. We'd definitely recommend this tour with RealNZ to anyone.
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Posted On : 2024-03-22 19:49:11
Posted By : Michael F
I could not rate RealNZ highly enough, for the tour and also the service. Following a mixup with a different operator the previous day; an awful experience with the company concerned, we decided to book with RealNZ. Brilliant decision! It started with a happy friendly reception, Brandon, and just got better.
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Posted On : 2024-03-20 03:38:13
Posted By : RobertL_F
Our guide and driver Luke was fantastic. It was a long day but worth the trip to such a beautiful place.
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Posted On : 2024-03-18 18:09:36
Posted By : David_A
We'd heard so much how wonderful Milford Sound is and it didn't let us down! The only way you can appreciate it is to actually go there! We would definitely recommend booking the experience through Viator - like all the other day trips booked with this company, the day was made more memorable by the courteous and knowledgeable driver. Thank you!
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Posted On : 2024-03-12 10:11:53
