Jun 10, 2026 – 5.00amMilford Sound, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is world renowned for its sheer cliffs and epic waterfalls. But is the eight-hour round trip worth a two-hour glimpse of paradise? For Life & Leisure, the decision to endure the winding journey from Queenstown was sweetened by a new $330 “Business Class” upgrade.Tour operator RealNZ – one of the South Island’s major tourism operators, founded by conservationists Les and Olive Hutchins in 1954 – launched the Milford Sound Business Class experience in November as a step up from its standard coach-and-cruise tours. It’s pitched as an intimate journey (for a maximum of 15 people), capped by a five-course tasting menu onboard a decked-out cruise ship.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Emma RapaportCo-editor, Street TalkEmma Rapaport is a co-editor of the Street Talk column. Prior to that, she was a markets reporter at The Australian Financial Review.Fetching latest articles