How to travel from Kaikoura to Milford Sound, New Zealand

There are several options for getting from Kaikoura to Milford Sound by bus, train, car and plane. The cheapest option is to take the bus which costs around NZ$195 ($120) and will take around 16h 35m. If you need to get there more quickly, you can take the train and then fly and arrive in approximately 5hrs, though it is a bit more costly at approximately NZ$620 ($380).

The distance between Kaikoura and Milford Sound is around 622km (386 miles). In a direct line (as the crow flies), the distance is 532km (331 miles)

It takes around 16h 35m to get from Kaikoura and Milford Sound by bus. If you are travelling by car it will take around 10h 60m to drive there.

The quickest way to get from Kaikoura to Milford Sound is to take the train and then fly which takes around 5hrs and will set you back approx NZ$620 ($380).

The cheapest way to travel between Kaikoura and Milford Sound, if you exclude driving, is to take the bus which will typically cost around NZ$195 ($120) for a standard one-way ticket.

There is no train service that runs between Kaikoura and Milford Sound. We recommend that you take the train to Rangiora then fly from Christchurch (CHC),Queenstown Airport to Queenstown (ZQN) and then to Milford Sound Airport. instead which will take 5hrs.

Yes there is a bus that runs regularly from Kaikoura and Milford Sound. It typically takes around 16h 35m and departs 4 times a week.

There are no direct bus services that runs from Kaikoura to Milford Sound. However, you can instead can take several connecting buses with changeovers in Christchurch and Frankton Bus Interchange. These services run 4 times a week and will take a minimum of 16h 35m.

InterCity and awesomeNZ run regular bus services between Kaikoura and Milford Sound. Buses run 4 times a week and take around 16h 35m on average but will vary depending on you book with.

It doesn't look like you can fly directly from Kaikoura to Milford Sound. We recommend that you take the bus to Christchurch and then to Frankton Bus Interchange then fly from Queenstown Airport to Milford Sound Airport. instead which will take 11h 35m.

The closest major airport to Milford Sound is Queenstown Airport (ZQN) (ZQN) which is approximately 75km (47 miles) from Milford Sound. Wanaka Airport (WKA) (WKA) and Invercargill Airport (IVC) (IVC) are also nearby and might be a better alternative airport depending on where you are flying from.

Yes it is possible to drive from Kaikoura and Milford Sound. The distance is around 931km (578 miles) by road and it will take around 10h 60m in normal traffic conditons.

If you don't have a car, the easiest way to get from Kaikoura to Milford Sound is to take the bus which takes, on average, 16h 35m and will usually cost around NZ$195 ($120).