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Lake Wakatipu ringed by golden mountains, seen from the Skyline Gondola cables above Queenstown
BY TOR UPTON7 MIN READ38 VIEWS

Queenstown: Milford Sound, Gondolas and Alpine Light

I finally made it down to Queenstown, and it lived up to every over-used postcard I'd ever seen of it. Snow on the tops, a lake that changes colour by the hour, and a town small enough to walk end to end but stacked with things to do. This is a quick overview of the trip as mostly I remember it, partly so the next person planning the same route has a head start.

The Skyline Gondola

First proper stop was the Skyline Gondola. It hauls you up Bob's Peak above the town, and the view opens up fast over Lake Wakatipu which gave a breathtaking view out below with The Remarkables across the water. I went up in the afternoon and stayed through dusk, which I'd recommend: you get the daylight panorama and then the whole valley lights up as the sky goes cobalt.

Blue-hour view from the Skyline summit terrace, the glass-walled restaurant lit up on the right and Queenstown's lights below with The Remarkables in the distance

The terrace at the top is worth lingering on. There's a restaurant up there (the big glass building above), a luge if you're feeling competitive, and enough viewpoints that you can dodge the crowds. Watching the town flick on light by light while the last colour drained off the peaks was the highlight of the first day.

Out to Milford Sound

The big one was Milford Sound. It's a long day indeed! a few hours each way from Queenstown but the drive itself is half the point. The road climbs through the mountains and every turn is another postcard, right up to the peaks looming over the Homer Tunnel.

A jagged snow-and-ice peak towering over the Milford road, seen looking up from the coach

Then you get to the water. We took the cruise out into the fiord, and the scale of it doesn't really land until you're underneath those cliffs with waterfalls coming straight down into the sea. The sun kept breaking over the tops and throwing light down the valley along with one of those mornings where the camera never quite catches it.

Sun cresting a snow-dusted peak at Milford Sound, rays raking across dark forested cliffs down into the fiord

Sunrises worth the alarm

Back in Queenstown, the lake put on a show most mornings. This was one dawn down by the water with also the whole sky glowing a soft pink over the snow line before the town had properly woken up.

Soft pink dawn over Lake Wakatipu, snow-capped ranges behind a dark forested peninsula

Notes for next time

  • Give Milford a full day. | The drive is long but it's part of the experience but don't rush it.
  • Do the gondola at dusk. | Daylight view was great! but stat after dusk so you can view the town lighting up, so you only need to buy one ticket.
  • Layer up. | Clear mornings are cold; the light is best when it's coldest.
  • Watch the weather for the fiord. | Rain changes Milford completely! more waterfalls, less sun. Both are worth it.
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