Of all the national parks I've visited, my two absolute favourites on the planet are Fiordland National Park and Taroko National Park (Taiwan). For everyone visiting Aotearoa New Zealand, Milford Sound / Piopiotahi is an essential visit. However, this is most commonly done as a day trip from Queenstown, where you only get to see Milford Sound for a couple of hours. In this post, I'll try to convince you that Fiordland National Park deserves more of your time.
First, the two best bases for Fiordland are Te Anau and Manapouri. I split my time between both, with Te Anau being the primary base. The Intercity buses are the best way to get from Queenstown to Te Anau. Some of these buses continue on to Milford Sound, but you'll get off here.
There's a ton to see around Te Anau. Lake Te Anau itself is gorgeous, with a great glowworm cave across the lake, and many boat tours. I spent a day in and around Te Anau. I had booked a helicopter tour, but unfortunately strong winds cancelled that. Fiordland offers extensive multi-day hikes like the Milford Track or Kepler Track. I didn't do these, opting instead for shorter hikes. In addition to cycling, Fiordland is also excellent for cycling, with plenty of e-bike and mountain bike rental options available in Te Anau. There are flat options, but things do get mountainous, so e-bikes are recommended.
I highly recommend the Lake2Lake Trail along the Waiau river which connects the lakes of Te Anau and Manapouri. I did the round trip with an e-bike, though it's also great for walking - you could do a day trip completing the trail, then taking the bus back. It's not just a scenic trail, with plenty to stop at along the way, including a bird sanctuary and The Lord of the Rings filming locations.
Milford Sound is of course Fiordland's key attraction, and for good reason. There are a number of day tour options available from Te Anau. By cutting several hours off the usual Queenstown day trip, the Te Anau-Milford day tours offer more stops along the way, and more time in Milford Sound. The boat cruises are a must, but there's also plenty to hike and see in and around Milford Sound.
The next day, I moved over to Manapouri and explored Lake Manapouri. Manapouri is a a tiny village with under 300 people with very limited options, so be sure to book in advance. I particularly enjoyed the water taxis in Manapouri. On the other side of Lake2Lake, the lake beaches are beautiful, alongside shorter hiking options.
Doubtful Sound / Patea is Milford's quieter, more subtle, sibling. While not quite the "Earth's finest spectacle" as Milford Sound, it has its own charms. By the way, though they are called sounds, both Milford and Doubtful are actually fiords. The tours for Doubtful Sound leave from Manapouri, with a boat across the lake, a bus through the mountain pass, and finally arriving for the boat cruise in Doubtful Sound. Doubtful Sound is not doable as a day trip from Queenstown, so you have to be in Te Anau or Manapouri, preferably the latter.
That brings me to the end of my week-long journey through the Fiordland National Park. You can easily spend a month here, and I plan to do the longer hikes in future, but this is a great introduction with every day being special. If you're short on time, I'd still recommend staying a night or two in Te Anau. Another alternative is to fly from Queenstown to Milford Sound, which gives a lot more time in Milford and visibility into some incredible sights only visible from air, though these are pricey. This was in summer 2025, and Fiordland takes on a different appearance in winters with the snow. I'll have a separate trip report from my autumn and winter trips to NZ later.
Since people ask every time, all photos were take on an Olympus E-M10 Mk IV and a Samsung Galaxy S25. It was a real challenge selecting 20 photos out of 200. Finally, as always, AMA!