"You live you life like a canary in a coalmine You get so…read moredizzy even walking in a straight line" (The Police) Built in 1921, The TSS Earnslaw is the oldest commercial passenger-carrying steamship and the only remaining commercial coal-fired steamship in the Southern Hemisphere. It's a big ship! It measures 168 feet (51.2 meters) long and has a 24-foot (7.3-meters) beam. You nautical aficionados know that beam means "across" and can hold up to 389 passengers and 11 crew members. We jumped aboard at the Queenstown docks' Steamer Wharf and rode to the western shores of Lake Wakatipu to have dinner at the Walter Peak Farm. It's around a 90-minute ride, The ship's engine room has a viewing gallery where passengers can watch stokers shovel coal into the firebox throughout the trips. We learned the ship burns one ton of coal per hour. On the way home from dinner, a piano player led a sing-along on vintage tunes from the 1920's. It was a fun and relaxing ride. The ship had a Promenade Café and Bar and watching the workers shoveling that coal into the firebox was very awesome. I bet half of the passengers took videos of that. I know I did. TSS Earnslaw Trivia The ship was named after Mount Earnslaw, a 9, 478 foot (2,889-meter) tall peak at the head of Lake Wakatipu.

Great Experience! Cruise ride, buffet, show and farm animals!…read more We did they evening bbq dinner (not Texas bbq, don't expect bbq sauce, they mean grilled meats) Cruise: the was relaxing, they had a bar areas with snacks, drinks and food options to buy Dinner: There are a wide variety of food (salads, bread cheese, appetizers, meats and desserts) you'll find something you'll like. It was a buffet style, the meats were lamb, chicken and venison Show: they sheer a sheep in front you and give you background knowledge Animals: once the show is done you can head to the gift shop or see the animals Overall great evening dinner experience HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

We used Go orange for our tour to the Milford sounds. Our tour guide was Grant and he was a…read moresweetheart. He was informative and very knowledgable on New Zealand history. The long 5 hour bus ride was broken up into several stops either for bathroom breaks, shopping and the best sightseeing and photo opportunities of New Zealands beautiful landscape. Even in the rain on some stops the scenery was gorgeous and worth getting a little wet. I would recommend this tour for your travel needs in Queenstown. Trust me you will have hundreds to choose from with 4 to 5 tour companies on every street, lol.

6:30 am. Too early for a meal, maybe you've had enough time to sneek in a hot tea or coffee. It's…read morefreezing cold out and you have layered as much as you can to try and stay warm enough to keep your fingers and toes from becoming frozen. It's dark, you struggle to find your way to the meeting point for pickup, scared that if you aren't there in time, your tour bus will leave you and you'd have lost your money invested in today. You wait in the cold, checking the time, looking out for others who look just as tired and lost as you do. Some people show up. Suddenly a massive tour bus rolls up to your bus stop. Out pops a average height gentleman, he seems as though he's already full of energy, maybe he's already had his coffee. He is wearing a cowboy hat. We've just met, Jason, the Cowboy who will take us from Queenstown and into Fjordland National Park to Milford Sound. After taking a seat on the bus, grabbing a warm orange blanket from the above compartment, we make a few more stops along our way to pickup others. Jason, or the Cowboy has welcomed us and explains that we are now his family, he's going to look after us and take care of us, just as you do with family. I never felt so welcomed. Riding alongside the massive lake, he noted things to look out for, explained the little towns we went by, gave suggestions and was filled with local knowledge and stories. For what would be a boring 3 plus hour journey, he can take all of the credit for making this day a entertaining one.

We did the quickie tour because there wasn't a lot of free time on the schedule and it was totally…read moreworth it. Quick out to the top of a mountain/hill. Quick opportunity for photos. Quick trip back over the lake. Great experience. Well organized and very safe. Pilot was great. Office was great. Transportation to and from was great. Would do a longer trip with them sometime if possible. Note that they cancel a lot of flights. Book early in your stay as you could get postponed due to weather and probably will. Enjoy!

I mean, it's just, I... Here the thing: I'm a wordy person who enjoys speaking in hyperbole, and…read moreeven I'm having a hard time coming up with a way to describe just how amazing this experience was. First off, the weather could not have been better. And the helicopter pilot could not have been more informative. And with each of the three landings (the first on a bluff overlooking the reason that Lord Of The Rings was filmed here, the second at Milford, and the third on a snowy glacier) I realized exactly why we had spent so much money to do this. It was expensive. And worth every penny. In fact, we did it again the second time we came to Queenstown. And we'll probably do it the next time as well. If you can swing it in your budget, this is an absolute MUST DO.

Heli Tours is probably one of the greatest ways to see Milford Sound, beautiful Queenstown, and…read moreglaciers so quickly! It is a bit pricey, but definitely worth the $$$$! We booked our tour through Happy Travels in downtown Queenstown for the fly+cruise+fly package! Our tour details: 9am - We called ahead to make sure the weather was good to fly and our trip was not going to get canceled. There was a Heli Tours van that picked us up from our hotel in Queenstown! 9:15am - We got to the Heli Tours office and waited for 2 more people to arrive. 9:30am - Our tour was suppose to start at 9:30am sharp, but the other folks never showed up. 9:45am - Only 4 of us, including the pilot (Ben)! It was so awesome!! There was a quick safety briefing. We got on the heli and we were all super excited to be in a heli for the very first time! Ben did some commentary, but it was honestly difficult to hear everything he was saying. Also the window had our reflections so it was a bit difficult to take pictures through the window clearly. We flew over many beautiful rivers and mountains. 10:25am - When we landed in Milford, Ben escorted us onto the bus that took us to where the boats were. We hopped onto a small boat for our 10:45am departure with about 20 other people and they had a sectioned off area for the Heli Tours group inside the boat!! There was free tea/coffee and chocolate cookies. I really enjoyed the cruise through Milford Sound and because we were on a smaller boat, we got to go up close to the waterfalls!! Got a free shower too! LOL! 11:45am - After the cruise, Ben escorted us back onto the bus heading back towards the helipads! 12:30pm - Landed on a glacier! Took a bunch of photos! It was quite the experience! The fluffiest powder of snow I've ever felt and stepped in! It was so fresh!!! Unbelievable! 1:00pm - Headed back and flew over towards Queenstown 1:30pm - Arrived back at the Heli Tours office by the airport 1:45pm - Got a van ride back to our hotels 2:00pm - Arrived at our hotel It was definitely one of the greatest experiences ever. If you can afford a helicopter ride to see Queenstown/Milford, it's by far the best way to see so much in a short amount of time! This tour was really great because we got escorted throughout our tour and we were well taken care of! Ben was a great pilot and he made everyone get a chance to sit up front! I only wished they somehow had a Milford/Doubtful Sound tour! That would be so worth it since I haven't seen any tour group have both in one day! TIPS: - If you do book this tour, I recommend booking it thru Happy Travels. - Wear sunscreen and apply frequently (I got sunburned) and bring sunglasses! Wear appropriate shoes for the wet boat ride and the snowy glacier. Layer because it gets hot inside the helicopter and then it's quite cold outside the boat and on the glacier!

The. Very. Best…read more Highly recommend JUCY Cruise at Milford Sound. A new vessel. Great driver who took us in from Te Anau. Friendly staff on board. And the view. All in all a great once in a lifetime experience. The drive to and back had a lot of stops with value added spots to see, capture and remember for life. Do. Not. Miss. This.

We chose Jucy because we figured we'd take advantage of the half-priced driver promo…read more The cruise wasn't busy at all. We had originally booked the 9:45am departure but decided it was just too early. I actually emailed them and it was changed to 11:45am by their customer service rep (thanks again!). We paid the difference in price upon arrival at the ferry terminal. Since the rain was ongoing, we actually preferred a shorter trip. Some of the other companies offer a longer cruise at a slightly higher price. We were happy with what we got. The weather... It was rough. The views though, gorgeous. The waterfalls were probably at their maximum due to the rainfall. I stayed outside for most of the time on the second level where there was coverage. This was not a five star only because I think if they actually reached capacity (200 people) it really would not have been enjoyable. Under our conditions and circumstances, it was a solid 4 star experience. The captain was very friendly and I was able to chat with him for a bit. That was cool.

We're on our New Zealand "taster's" tour, and the only place we're staying on the South Island is…read moreQueenstown. And if you're going to visit Queenstown, you're going to want to visit Milford Sound (it's actually a fjord, but whatever). And if you want to visit Milford Sound and you have a time constraint, the fastest way to get there is by air (35 minutes one-way). Our travel people booked the flight out via Air Milford. Normally, I'm nervous about these things. I like my planes to have at least two sources of propulsion and yet are preferred to propellers. And honestly speaking, I'm not prone to having such adventures. Nonetheless, today was an amazing Queenstown day, and the conditions were right for the flight. The weather is temperamental around here, so the procedure was to call in the night before and call in this morning. We didn't have to call in this morning as Air Milford called us and told us the trip was a "Go!" The communication was open and informative. We got picked up in front of our hotel by a Queenstown taxi and were ferried to the airstrip. Check-in was simple. Antony came out and briefed us in front of a map. We loaded up the plane fully, and off we went. The flight was flawless. Antony told us all the landmarks and what we were seeing. Can't say I was completely calm, but Antony flies the Cessna as you or I would commute to work. We saw lakes, rivers, valleys, mountains, grasslands... everything that Frodo saw, except from the sky.... so I guess as you would were you riding a giant eagle with seat belts. On the way into Milford Sound, you fly to the Tasman Sea and turn back. You make a small turn and then plop into the air strip. On the way out, Antony had everyone (who wanted to) take pictures with the plane, and my wife even got to ride the co-pilot. The flight home was less nervous. It was a continuous stream of pictures. In short, If you like adventure... If you're time-constrained... If you like supporting family-owned, small businesses... If you like excellence in an amazing experience. You should book with Air Milford.

Right from the beginning safety talk they were professional and reassuring. Explaining what to…read moreexpect and what could happen dependent on weather. The pilot was very competent (I sat in the co pilots seat on the return flight and could see what he was doing and could listen to the radio transmissions, and while not a pilot have flown in smaller sized aircrafts with commercial airline pilots). Great scenic flight and then on to the boat for more spectacular views and complementary beverage and muffin! The boat captain narrated at times and got us close enough to walls to see details and one waterfall so close that those of us on the bow got way wetter that I expected!! (good thing my camera is weather sealed)

I'm very happy with you Glenorchy Air! What an unforgettable flying experience, especially for…read moreaviation enthusiasts like myself. Glenorchy took us on a scenic flight over some of the most stunning landscapes in the world. This company operates out of Queenstown, New Zealand, offering flights to Milford Sound, maybe the 8th world wonder in the world in my opinion. Flying with Glenorchy Air was the highlight of my New Zealand trip. The staff were incredibly friendly and professional, ensuring everything ran smoothly from check-in to landing. The pilot allowed me to sit SIC (second-in-command) and explained auto pilot which I'm a little novice on. Very much appreciated. The views from the cockpit were unmatched. You're looking out over dramatic alpine ranges, glacial valleys, and winding rivers visible at every turn. About the only time in my life I was ok with looking and not wanting to fly.

Wow! What an amazing experience! Super greetings from every employee and had the best pilot ever!…read moreShe has been flying for five years and she is only 24 and what a flight, best ever! Not only was the take off and landing smooth, she explained what we were looking at and educated us about Milford Sound and the surrounding area. It was fantastic! I will highly recommend this company and would fly with them again in a heartbeat. See the photos it was magical.

This helicopter tour was truly a memorable experience and absolutely worth it. Even though it's a…read morelittle on the expensive side, the moment we lifted off, I knew it was going to be something special. The operator picked us up right on time, gave us a quick and clear safety briefing, and within minutes we were in the air. The pilot was fantastic -- friendly, skilled, and even took photos for us during the flight. The views from above Queenstown were breathtaking, with mountains, lakes, and landscapes that looked unreal from the sky. Landing on the snow was the highlight. We spent a few minutes taking photos, enjoying the crisp air, and soaking in the panoramic views from the top. It felt peaceful, surreal, and unforgettable. Overall, this tour delivered exactly what we hoped for: a once in a lifetime experience. Despite the price, it's absolutely worth it for the memories alone. We would definitely recommend this helicopter tour to anyone visiting Queenstown.

WOW! Fantastic helicopter ride to land on a glacier! Pilot was informative, friendly, and very…read morenice. The helicopter takes 6 people and we had a turn sitting in the front on the way back. The views even from the back, were spectacular. I would thoroughly recommend this company. They do pickups from hotels, or there are a few parking spaces right outside their building. It was a wonderful experience, lasted about an hour, and I'm so glad we did it!