Hi

I’m heading across the Tasman for a wedding next month, and I thought I’d take a few extra days to explore some of the South Island along the way as I’ve never ventured down there before.

The Fiordlands really interest me – they look spectacular and I should make a visit a priority. Milford Sound in particular looks superb, but from what I can tell listening to other people’s experiences, it seems like most people go there to get on a boat and cruise up the sound.

Boats and large format cameras don’t seem like they’ll mix – no matter how still the water is I’m not going to manage any great stability for any exposures longer than a 1/30th of a sec am I, so how much solid ground is there for exploring in Milford Sound from which one can photograph with a tripod?

I know the whole area is a tourist trap and the coaches all leave Queenstown and head straight there, so ideally should I be looking to stay in Te Anau so I can be up early and drive the 2+hrs down the Milford Road, aiming to arrive before the masses? I always try to avoid the tourist traps with my photography, but as much as Milford Sound is photographed, I really do want to pay it a visit.

Doubtful Sound perhaps looks even more spectacular, but from reading previous posts here it seems there isn’t a road out to it, you get there via a boat across Lake Manapouri and then a coach across the Wilmot Pass, so perhaps this trip is best saved for another day when I have more time?

I fly into Queenstown on a Saturday afternoon, pick up a car, am due at the Picton ferry by the Thursday lunchtime, and my wife wants to take in the Franz Josef glacier on the way.

Any suggestions or Fiordland tips and places to photograph on the way would be a great help.

Thanks