FactMilford SoundThursday, 1 January 2026
Rain is the best time to see Milford Sound
With around seven metres of rainfall a year, Milford is one of the wettest inhabited places on Earth — and heavy rain switches on hundreds of temporary waterfalls down the fiord walls.
Most visitors hope for sunshine, but Milford Sound keeps its biggest show for the rain. Roughly seven metres falls each year — around 180 rain days — and within an hour of a decent downpour the sheer granite walls run with hundreds of temporary waterfalls, some hundreds of metres tall.
Only two falls are permanent: Lady Bowen Falls (162 m) and Stirling Falls (155 m). Everything else appears and vanishes with the weather, which is why skippers tell disappointed-looking passengers on grey days that they've actually won the lottery.
Quick answers
- Is Milford Sound worth visiting in the rain?
- Yes — arguably it's best in rain. Milford receives about 7 metres of rainfall a year, and downpours trigger hundreds of temporary waterfalls down the fiord walls that don't exist on dry days.
Sources
- Milford Sound receives roughly 7 metres of rain per year, making it one of the wettest inhabited places in the world. [source]