Deep South Series: Milford Sound - is New Zealand's jewel lost to tourism?

The Herald is proud to present the first episode of a major new investigative documentary series Deep South produced and presented by Crux Productions.

It's a world heritage site and the country's number one tourism destination but plans to radically control future visitor numbers to Milford Sound are causing deep-seated tensions in Otago and Southland.

Queenstown tourism operators say they have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in providing access to Piopiotahi/Milford Sound but claim they are now left in the dark as the $15 million Government-funded Milford Opportunities project threatens to charge overseas visitors an entry fee, shift the visitor hotel focus to Te Anau and close the Milford airport.

The outcome of this clash may well dictate the future shape of tourism in Aotearoa/New Zealand, with one tourism industry leader claiming Milford Sound is already "lost to tourism" and should therefore continue to host hundreds of thousands of people each year.

Cruise ship Explorer Dream in Milford Sound in 2019. Photo / Dream Cruises

Is Milford Sound lost to tourism?

Prior to Covid-19, over a million tourists visited Milford. Eight hundred and eighty thousand took a boat out into the Sound.

There is just one road in and out of Milford Sound, and almost all overseas tourists are bused from Queenstown and back in a single day.

Aaron Fleming, director of operations for the south of the South Island at the Department of Conservation, says he can remember pre-Covid, the road leading into Milford Sound was choked with vehicles.

"There were a lot of people trying to get in there, buses reversing into other buses and cars, it was a really tight constrained space.

"This is not a visitor experience that is enjoyable and this is a safety issue. We have got to try and find a way to fix this."

A Pure Milford vessel in Milford Sound. Photo / Supplied

Something needs to change

Keith Turner, chairman of the governance group, Milford Opportunities Project, believes the essential character of Milford Sound "has been lost".

In 2016 the Milford Opportunities Project was formed, including mayors of local district councils, MBIE, Ministry of Transport. private interests and iwi.

"They all know that something needed to change," said Turner.

'Milford is the place'

Sir John Davies, tourism pioneer and Milford Sound operator, owns the only hotel in the national park.

"If you make it hard for them to go to Milford and you charge them $100 a head to go there, you will force them to go to Doubtful Sound and other places.

"Milford is the place, we are there now and we should concentrate and handle it the best way we can."

Deep South will explore five key issues from the south of the South Island. Researched and directed for Crux by Peta Carey, produced by Dave Gibson and Toby Crawford with funding from the Public Interest Journalism Fund/NZ On Air."