Milford Sound and Gibbston Wine: 10% Off with Southern Discoveries

If you have spent any time in Queenstown you will have seen the red boats. Southern Discoveries have been running cruises on Milford Sound for a very long time, and they also run one of the nicest ways to spend a day in Gibbston wine country without anybody having to drive.

They are friends of ours, and they look after our guests too. When you hire your car with Evolve Rentals, you get 10% off Southern Discoveries experiences with the code Evolverentals10. Here is how to get the most out of both days, and how to fit them around the car.

How does the Southern Discoveries discount work?

Book with Southern Discoveries using the code Evolverentals10 and you get 10% off. It works across their products, including the Milford Sound cruises and the wine tour, but not on combination packages such as Cruise and Walk or Cruise and Jetboat.

Which Milford Sound cruise should you book if you are driving?

The Milford Sound Nature Cruise is the one built for people who drive themselves. You meet the boat at the Milford Sound Terminal, check in 20 minutes before you sail, and spend up to two hours out on the fiord.

The boats have full height windows and open decks, so it works in any weather, and rain is not the disappointment people expect. When it pours, hundreds of temporary waterfalls appear down the cliffs, which is a sight you do not get on a clear day. Stirling Falls drops 155 metres, seals are regularly spotted on the rocks, and if your luck is in there may be dolphins or penguins. Tea and coffee are on the house, and there are two car parks within walking distance of the terminal.

How long is the drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound?

About 290 kilometres and around four and a half hours of driving each way, down to Te Anau and then out along the Milford Road, and longer once you stop for photos, which you will. The last 120 kilometres from Te Anau is one of the great drives in the world, finishing through the Homer Tunnel, 1.2 kilometres carved through solid granite and the only road link to Milford Sound. Our long summer drives guide covers the road in more detail.

The honest advice is to stay a night in Te Anau. It turns a very long day into two good ones, gets you onto the Milford Road early, and puts you at Milford before the car park fills, which it does quickly in summer. Book a morning cruise and you have the rest of the afternoon to drive back slowly.

What do you need to know before driving the Milford Road?

Fill up in Te Anau, because there is no petrol station at Milford Sound. From May to September you need to carry snow chains on the Milford Road, so ask us for a set with your car and have a look at our snow chains guide before you go. The weather in Fiordland can change fast even in summer, so pack a waterproof and a warm layer, and check the NZ Transport Agency journey planner on the morning you drive.

If it is your first time on New Zealand roads, our guide to driving in New Zealand covers the one lane bridges, the distances and everything else that catches visitors out.

Can you do Milford Sound without driving?

Yes. Southern Discoveries run coach and cruise days from Queenstown and Te Anau, and a small group option, the Small Group Travel and Discover More Cruise, with no more than 12 people in a glass roof Mercedes Sprinter and their longest cruise on the fiord, up to two hours and fifteen minutes with a picnic lunch on board. From Queenstown it is a long day, about thirteen and a half hours door to door, but somebody else does the driving.

What you give up is the freedom to stop where you like, stay the night in Te Anau, or take the road at your own pace on the way home. For a lot of people that freedom is the best part of the trip.

What is the Southern Discoveries Queenstown Wine Tour like?

The Queenstown Wine Tour is a five hour day out in the Gibbston Valley, the home of Central Otago Pinot Noir. It picks you up from central Queenstown accommodation at 10am and takes you to four wineries, including Chard Farm, Waitiri Creek and Brennan Wines, with a private tasting at each and a light platter along the way.

This is the day to leave the car at home. Four tastings and a winding gorge road do not mix, and the whole point of the tour is that you do not have to choose. If you want to see Gibbston again with the car the next day, our autumn guide to Queenstown has the drive out through wine country and on to Arrowtown.

How do you fit both around a hire car?

Do the wine tour on a Queenstown day, when the car can stay parked. Then take the car south: Te Anau for the night, Milford Sound in the morning, and the drive back through Fiordland and Southland at whatever speed the views demand. Three days, two of the best experiences in the region, and no rushing either of them.

In Queenstown we bring the car to wherever you are staying and walk you through it, so the trip starts at your door. Book your car with Evolve Rentals, keep the code Evolverentals10 handy, and go and see why everybody comes back from Milford Sound slightly lost for words.

FAQs

What is the Southern Discoveries discount code for Evolve Rentals customers?
Evolverentals10, for 10% off when you book with Southern Discoveries. It does not apply to combination packages such as Cruise and Walk or Cruise and Jetboat.

How long is the Milford Sound Nature Cruise?
Up to two hours. Check in at the Milford Sound Terminal 20 minutes before departure.

Where is the last fuel stop before Milford Sound?
Te Anau, about 120 kilometres before Milford Sound. There is no petrol station at Milford.

Do you need snow chains for the Milford Road?
From May to September, yes, you need to carry them. Outside those months, check the road conditions before you set off.

Where does the Queenstown Wine Tour pick up from?
Central Queenstown accommodation, at 10am, for a five hour tour of four Gibbston Valley wineries.