The Gateway to Magnificence (1) - Air Milford to Milford Sound

After the NAC proving flight into Milford Sound some flightseeing flights were operated into Milford Sound from Hokitika and Haast by NAC and later West Coast Airways which was a subsidiary of Southern Scenic Air Services... But it was Southern Scenic Airways who pioneering the scenic flights from Queenstown to Milford Sound that made it the aviation destination it is today... it is no wonder Southern Scenic branded their flights to Milford Sound as the gateway to magnificence.

Like the Dominies of old we took the lower route to Milford Sound

On the 10th of July 2026, 70 years to the day after the proving flight that licenced Milford Sound aerodrome I had the awesome privilege to fly into Milford Sound on a commemorative flight to mark the event with Antony Sproull in Air Milford's Cessna Caravan ZK-SKB with Antony flying Southern Scenic's Air Services' Gateway to Magnificence flight path...

My ride to Milford Sound, Air Milford's Cessna Caravan ZK-SKB

A much busier Queenstown airport than in 1956. In 1956 Queenstown's only air service was to Dunedin. It had started in 1950 operated by single-engined Percival Proctors and later twin-engined Airspeed Ansons.

Our departure took us down the Frankton Arm

Cecil Park and the south arm of Lake Wakatipu

Looking south

Looking west

Flying by the ridge lines

Lake Dispute with Lake Wakatipu beyond

A photo across the aisle out of the right hand window... Crossing the top end of Lake Wakatipu - from left, the Dart River/Te Awa Whakatipu, Mt Alfred, the Rees River and Glenorchy

And looking down Lake Wakatipu from the left hand side

Tooth Peak

The Greenstone River Valley...

The Eglinton River Valley

The Eglinton River Valley with fog over Lake Te Anau in the distance

U Pass looking down towards Glade House and a fog-bound Lake Te Anau

Again, through the right hand window, a very chilly looking Lake Erskine

McKinnon Pass on the Milford Track

McKinnon Pass looking down the Clinton River Valley... do you see the shelter just above the left hand tarn?

Here's a cropped image

THIS IS NOT MY PHOTO - But I wanted to show a better perspective of where we flew next... above Lake Quill and the Sutherland Falls

Lake Quill - which sits above the Sutherland Falls. The lake is about about 1km across and our flight had us circling within the lake area and then doing a figure 8 so the people on the other side could see

Magnificent reflections... Lake Quill is 979 metres above sea level... 

This little tarn above Lake Quill is at 1325 metres above sea level

A perfectly focussed photo the plane's strut... and a blurred photo of Lake Quill's outlet over the Sutherland falls to the right of the strut

Steep mountain sides around us... Antony's airmanship was amazing...

The little waterfall coming down from the tarn above to Lake Quill at the bottom

Out over the outlet

And the Sutherland Falls, cascading down 580 metres is the tallest waterfall in New Zealand. The water falls in three cascades: the upper is 229 m tall, the middle is 248 m, and the lower is 103 m tall.

Through the left hand side of the pilot's front window - Lake Ada

Into Milford Sound

Mitre Peak on the left

Lokking up the Cleddau River Valley - the road takes this route. The Homer tunnel, which is not visible, is around the corner to the right at the head of the valley 

Milford Sound airport on its 70th birthday

Turning finals for Milford Sound

Can you see the plane ahead of us on finals