Jesse Mulligan Travelled On RealNZ’s New Business Class Trip To Milford Sound, & You Can Too
How to have lunch, created by one of Auckland’s top chefs, under a Fiordland waterfall.
There is nothing as exciting as travelling business class. I experienced it for the first time after a surprise upgrade on the way to San Francisco and when I returned home I was like Con Petropolous in The Castle, with nothing to say about the Golden Gate Bridge but stories galore about things that had happened on the plane.
We live in a world where words such as “luxury” and “elite” are bandied about willy-nilly. You can buy premium instant coffee and prestige toilet paper and so, of course, these words have become meaningless. And yet the pointy end of the plane remains a concept shrouded in expensive exclusivity. When the tourism company RealNZ decided to brand its new offering as “Milford Sound Business Class”, it really knew what it was doing.
Last week, the company invited me to experience a high-end lunch in a scenic location, and who was I to say no? A flight to Queenstown, luxury coach to Fiordland and then a tasting menu designed by Kingi’s Tom Hishon on board one of Real NZ’s boats, while being lightly coated in the spray from Lady Bowen’s Waterfall, all sounded like something I could fit into my busy schedule, especially when I heard that we’d be jetting back to Queenstown with Air Milford at the end of the day.
It was going to be new to me – like most New Zealanders, I travelled the world without taking a good look around the South Island. The closest I’ve ever got to flying through the Southern Alps is watching that old video that used to begin transmission on TV One each morning while Annie Crummer sang our national anthem in te reo.
The experience begins in a luxury coach, with everything you might need for a four-hour bus trip through Middle-earth. Why didn’t Frodo and his mates do it this way, I wondered, as I downed a shot of probiotic tonic and wrapped my lambswool blanket about my person. That duration will sound like a long time to you (it did to me), but it flies by in good company and with some coffee and photo stops along the way.
Who would you expect to accompany me on a celebrity junket to Milford Sound? If you answered shoe designer Kathryn Wilson, improbably named Instagram chef Hercules Noble and NZ Idol host Dominic Bowden, then congratulations, you’ve won a job in public relations. Predictably, Dom brought along a supermodel girlfriend and the rest of us tried not to feel dowdy by comparison as she spun naturally and beautifully for the camera in front of us.
At Milford (not a town so much as a wharf plus airstrip), we alighted the Mercedes-Benz and boarded “Sinbad”, a new vessel purchased specifically for the Business Class package and skippered by a friendly young man who looked not unlike Sinbad himself. RealNZ has done an incredible job of creating a luxurious interior: soft chairs and sofas are grouped so that four diners sit together, and there are no bad seats. Every table is next to a massive window and if you want to get even closer to nature there are outside decks (with safety rails) right around the boat.
The staff are incredibly sweet and hardworking, with the range of confidence and experience you’d expect from a floating restaurant hours from civilisation. Everyone gives 100% and there are a couple of great senior waiters who add polish when needed. The wine list is lovely, from the flute of Cloudy Bay methode you’re handed as you step aboard to the thoughtful matches that are offered with the food. We were forgotten a couple of times but I think this will improve quickly when they get a few more trips under their belt. Look out for the signature cocktails, which might appeal if you’ve had your fill of wine.
Hishon has done a great job creating a menu highlighting the best ingredients of the region and the country. Fiordland’s most famous protein is wild Wapiti venison, which shows up in a lovely gamey broth at the start of the meal and later again in a steak tartare. I presume there is a kitchen somewhere on the shore steeping batches of that broth because they don’t seem to do a heap of cooking on the boat. Most courses are served room temperature, presumably to take the pressure off timing – you can’t tell someone to stop looking at Mitre Peak because their entree is getting cold.
Sliced pāua is served fresh and delicious in its shell, with very little adornment besides cucumber and a lick of black garlic. Tītī muttonbird, challengingly salty in its usual form, is cooked, compressed into cubes then crumbed and deep fried like a croquette with a little orange puree on top. Perhaps surprisingly the only sign of salmon was caviar, served with sour cream on a potato rosti.
The staff referred frequently to the “mains” to come, but I think this could use a subtle rebrand because this course was simply a small eel and beetroot hors d’oeuvre and a bowl of tartare shared between four. It’s great food and would be lovely if you weren’t expecting something bigger; in the end it was quite a light lunch, which is all you need and want when the main event is the showstopping scenery around you.
The meal ends with the “flat white”, a wonderful ice creamy take on our national coffee order. Incredibly, we were soon back at the dock, two hours of great eating and spectacular views over in the blink of an eye.
Milford Sound Business Class By RealNZ
Drinks: Fully licensed
Reservations: Essential
Priced: From $699. Price is all-inclusive and features coach travel from Queenstown or Te Anau to Milford, boat trip on Milford Sound, five-course tasting menu paired with Cloudy Bay sparkling wine, commentary and hosting from guides, and return travel by road, scenic flight or helicopter.
More information: realnz.co.nz
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