In business since 1954, Air New Zealand Supreme Tourism Award 2024, and the overnight cruise on the Milford Mariner.
Pick a day, or the first and last day you are in Queenstown, Te Anau or at Milford. We check the booking calendar of every tour in this section and show which ones still have places.
On the water: 1 h 40 or 2 h
On the water: 17 h on board
On the water: 2 h 15 min
On the water: 2 h
RealNZ goes back to 1954, when Les and Olive Hutchins bought the Manapouri-Doubtful Sound Tourist Company. In 2024 RealNZ won the Air New Zealand Supreme Tourism Award at the New Zealand Tourism Awards.
On Milford Sound, RealNZ runs the Milford Haven (up to 180 guests) and the Milford Mariner, built to look like a traditional trading scow. The Mariner takes up to 120 guests on day cruises and sleeps 64 on the overnight cruise. On GetYourGuide you can book the Classic cruise (1 h 40) or the Signature cruise with a nature guide (2 h), on their own or with a coach from Queenstown or Te Anau.
The tours below, side by side. Open a card for the route, the meeting point and what is included.
12-hour full day. Glass-roof coach plus a Classic (1 h 40) or Signature (2 h) cruise.
RealNZ goes back to 1954 and won the Air New Zealand Supreme Tourism Award in 2024. Its Queenstown coach + cruise starts at 88 Beach Street and uses a glass-roof coach with photo stops and short walks along the Milford Road, plus a 20 to 30-minute stop in Te Anau.
At Milford you choose the Classic cruise (1 h 40, commentary through a multilingual app) or the Signature cruise (2 h, with a live nature guide). RealNZ's Milford Haven carries up to 180 guests.
Food is not included; you can buy it at the bar on board or bring your own. The day ends back at 88 Beach Street in Queenstown.
The RealNZ Visitor Centre, Steamer Wharf, 88 Beach Street, Queenstown. Check in 30 minutes before departure to collect your boarding pass.
Tour details as the cruise or flight operator lists them on the booking platform.
17 hours on board. Kayak or tender boat, buffet dinner, ensuite cabins. Departs 16:00.
Board the Milford Mariner at 16:00 and cruise to a sheltered cove, where the boat drops anchor. The day boats have gone by then, and you head out with your guide by kayak or tender boat.
Dinner is a three-course buffet, and cabins are private with an ensuite. Nature-guide commentary in English covers the fiord's geology and wildlife.
After a continental breakfast you cruise back and reach the terminal at 09:15. Drinks are sold on board, and overnight parking at Milford costs NZ$30.
Compared with the Fiordland Discovery Jewel, the Mariner sleeps 64 instead of up to 22 and has no hot tub.
Milford Sound Visitor Terminal, Southland 9679. Exchange your voucher at the RealNZ counter for your boarding pass. Check-in 30 minutes before boarding.
Tour details as the cruise or flight operator lists them on the booking platform.
A 2 h 15 cruise on the renovated MV Sinbad, sold at half capacity, with reserved seats, champagne and canapés.
RealNZ's premium cruise runs on the MV Sinbad, a smaller vessel whose interior was recently refurbished with a Māori-inspired design. Only half the seats are sold, and your seat is reserved.
The cruise lasts 2 hours 15 minutes and runs the length of the fiord. You are welcomed with a glass of champagne, and canapés made from local produce are served on board. The skipper plans the route around the weather and recent wildlife sightings. The listing also has options with pickup, so the total time ranges from 2.5 to 12 hours.
Milford Sound Visitor Terminal. Check in at least 20 minutes before departure. Parking at the main car park costs NZ$10 per hour and is about a 10-minute walk away; Deepwater Basin is about 25 minutes on foot.
Tour details as the cruise or flight operator lists them on the booking platform.
Custom glass-roof Mercedes van, a 2-hour cruise on the MV Sinbad with a five-course tasting menu, and the way back by road, plane or helicopter.
RealNZ's most expensive way into Milford Sound from Queenstown. Pickup is from accommodation in Queenstown. The custom-built Mercedes van has a glass roof, high panoramic windows, Wi-Fi and care packs; the first stop is morning tea with barista coffee in Te Anau, and the stops on the Milford Road are chosen to avoid the crowds.
The cruise lasts 2 hours on the MV Sinbad, with allocated seats, a nature guide, a glass of champagne and a five-course tasting menu by a New Zealand chef. You choose the way back when you book: by road in the van, by scenic flight, or by helicopter with a mountain landing.
Tour details as the cruise or flight operator lists them on the booking platform.
In 1954, when Les and Olive Hutchins bought the Manapouri-Doubtful Sound Tourist Company.
On the overnight cruise the Mariner sleeps 64. It leaves the Milford Sound terminal at 16:00 and is back at 09:15 the next morning. Included: nature guide, kayak or tender boat, 3-course buffet dinner, continental breakfast and a private cabin with ensuite. Drinks are sold on board.
On this page: the Queenstown coach + cruise day and the Milford Mariner overnight. The Te Anau coach + cruise and the Classic or Signature cruise from the terminal have their own pages. Live prices, ratings and review counts are on the cards.
The Classic cruise takes 1 h 40, the Signature cruise with a nature guide 2 h. On the coach + cruise days you choose one of them as an option.
Yes. RealNZ runs a 7.5-hour coach + cruise from its visitor centre on the Te Anau lakefront, with a glass-roof coach and a Classic or Signature cruise. You find it on the Te Anau coach + cruise page.