Milford Sound, Southland Map

About Milford Sound, Southland

Milford Sound is a locality in the Southland Region of New Zealand. It is a small community with a population of 435. It sits at an elevation of around 267 m above sea level. It lies approximately 195 km north of Invercargill, the regional capital. Milford Sound is located at 44.6684°S, 167.9201°E. It observes New Zealand Time (NZST/NZDT). Statistics New Zealand classifies the area as a rural settlement.

Milford Sound is a place of overwhelming, primal beauty, where sheer, granite cliffs plunge dramatically into dark, still waters. It lies 195.4 km north of Invercargill (from Invercargill: bearing 350°T), and is situated 71.0 km north-west of Queenstown. The landscape is dominated by the colossal scale of the surrounding peaks, their summits often shrouded in mist, creating an atmosphere of ancient grandeur. Rainfall is a constant presence, feeding a vibrant, emerald-green cloak of native bush that clings tenaciously to the steep slopes, punctuated by the silver threads of countless waterfalls, the most prominent of which is Bowen Falls, a breathtaking cascade that plunges hundreds of metres into the sound. The air itself carries a perpetual dampness, a cool, refreshing kiss that speaks of the immense natural forces at play, and the Bowen River, fed by the snowmelt and rain from the higher reaches, snakes its way towards the Freshwater Basin, its waters a testament to the ceaseless cycle of erosion and renewal.

Though not a centre of bustling human industry, Milford Sound’s history is intimately tied to the awe it inspires, drawing travellers for generations who seek its remote magnificence. The local economy is almost entirely dedicated to showcasing this natural wonder, with its primary industry being tourism, catering to those who venture here to witness the dramatic fiord and its surrounding wilderness. The nearby Milford Track, a renowned walking trail, further amplifies the area's allure, attracting adventurers from across the globe who come to experience the raw power of this landscape firsthand. While the imposing Sheerdown Hills provide a formidable backdrop, the true heart of Milford Sound lies in its unique geological formation, a testament to glacial forces that sculpted this remarkable fiord, and the distant Taoka Icefall hints at the even grander, icy origins that shaped this singular corner of the world.

About This Milford Sound Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Milford Sound, Southland, New Zealand at coordinates -44.66836, 167.92005. Use the Map and Satellite buttons to switch views, the plus and minus buttons to zoom, and Fullscreen to fill the screen.

Search Maps opens a second, independent map with four things the embedded map cannot do. It searches OpenStreetMap for any New Zealand town, suburb or landmark by name. It offers LINZ topographic maps as a base layer — the official Topo250 and Topo50 sheets, switching scale automatically as you zoom, and the standard reference for tramping, hunting and back-country travel. It offers LINZ aerial imagery down to 5cm resolution in urban areas. And it can take a single GPS fix from your device and report your position as both an NZTM2000 grid reference and plain latitude and longitude — the grid reference being what New Zealand search and rescue services work from. Map tiles require mobile coverage, but a GPS position does not, so the coordinates remain correct even where the map itself cannot load.

My Location & Navigate starts the vector-tile navigator: live turn-by-turn driving directions from your current position to any destination, with spoken guidance, lane hints and automatic re-routing.

Live weather conditions with current observations and a 7-day forecast are powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time New Zealand and world news feeds keep the page current, while an editorial description provides background on Milford Sound.

Milford Sound sits within the Southland Region. Location data is drawn from the GeoNames geographical database and verified by coordinates, ensuring the correct Milford Sound is identified even where the name is shared across multiple New Zealand localities.