Te Anau Travelers Recommend

With three days in Te Anau, there’s time to experience all the highlights. This lakeside township nestled in World Heritage-listed Fiordland offers a variety of guided hikes, cruises, scenic flights, and day trips. Enjoy a range of nearby outdoor adventures, or go a bit further afield. Here’s how to get the most out of a 3-day stay.  

Day 1: New Zealand’s Great Walks

Some of the South Island’s best hiking trails are near Te Anau, and many people use the town as the point of departure for these sights. While multi-day treks require advance booking with the Department of Conservation, you don’t need for a backcountry permit for a day hike. Take a water taxi across Lake Te Anau to reach the Kepler Track trailhead, or skip most of the uphill climb to Mount Luxmore and opt for a helicopter flight and landing with a guided hike to the summit. 

Alternatively, take a nature walk along the popular Milford Track, which boasts views of the area’s famous fiord. Another Great Walk option is the Routeburn Track, which is nothing short of spectacular. It’s possible to tackle any of these trails independently or book a small-group or private guided trip; combine your outing with a scenic cruise for extra value.

Day 2: Fiordland Waterways

Spend your second day visiting Milford Sound, the area’s most famous and popular sight. Snap pics of towering Mitre Peak, and search for Fiordland crested penguins and other wildlife. While there, check out the Underwater Observatory for a closer look at the aquatic world. If you’re visiting in high season and the cruise boats are crowded, consider a day trip to see the larger but more distant Doubtful Sound instead, which is no less impressive and boasts an array of gushing waterfalls following rain storms. With any luck you may spot the small resident population of bottlenose dolphins. 

Rather not venture too far? Take afternoon tea aboard an elegant yacht on a cruise around Lake Te Anau; speed across the lake to the Glowworm Caves and take a tour of its illuminated caverns; or spend a lazy day learning to fly-fish for rainbow trout on the Waiau River. 

Day 3: Aerial Views

Fiordland National Park offers unparalleled scenic views, including more than a dozen ice-carved fiords. The scale of Fiordland’s sheer cliffs, shimmering lakes, snow-capped mountainscapes, and virgin beech forests is hard to fathom, and it’s impossible to cover it all. A scenic flight gives you the best chance to take it all in and offers plenty of postcard-worthy views. You can book a helicopter tour over Dusky and Doubtful—two of the region’s largest fiords—for a closer look at the Southern Alps and Kepler mountains. Alternatively, opt to soar above Milford’s iconic Mitre Peak, or hover above the twin lakes of Te Anau and Manapouri. Whichever tour you choose, you’ll get stunning views to cap off your trip.

Most visitors in Te Anau use the scenic township as a base for exploring Fiordland National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage area. But the town itself, situated on Lake Te Anau in front of scenic mountains, also offers plenty of recreational activities to enjoy if you have just one day in the area. Here’s how to spend a day in Te Anau.

Morning: Majestic Milford

The most popular destination in Fiordland is arguably Milford Sound, and if you’re going to do just one thing while in Te Anau, this is it. Opt for a nature cruise with a guide who can tell you about the otherworldly seascape of sheer limestone cliffs and the area’s crown jewel, Mitre Peak. Alternatively, book a cruise in Milford’s quieter, larger, and more remote neighbor, Doubtful Sound; tours include a boat ride across Lake Manapouri. If you’re short on time and want to pack in a few activities, spend the morning on a scenic helicopter flight and enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the area.

Afternoon: Lake Te Anau

The serene waters of Lake Te Anau offer myriad possibilities: Cruise across and enjoy a tour of the Te Anau Glowworm Caves’ illuminated grottoes, or take a spin on a jet boat for close-up views of the terrain. If you’d prefer to stay on land, head to one of the bike trails that link Manapouri and Te Anau via paths alongside the Upper Waiau River. Hikers can enjoy a short section of the Kepler Track and then take a water taxi ride to Brod Bay to explore the virgin beech forest that borders the lakeshore. 

Night: Sunset Stroll or Sail

Evenings tend to be tranquil at this lakeside spot, so it’s a good place to rest up after your daytime adventures—or before you continue on to Queenstown or Christchurch the following day. You’ll find a variety of bars and restaurants in town, some featuring seafood and South Island wild game. If you’ve got energy to spare, you can also stroll along the lakefront as far as your legs will carry you or hop aboard a luxury yacht and enjoy an evening sail, toast the day with Champagne, and watch the alpenglow of sunset reflected in the water.

Considered the gateway to Fiordland National Park, Te Anau and the surrounding UNESCO-listed landscape beg to be explored. From the South Island’s largest lake and the Waiau River to Milford and Doubtful Sounds, there’s no shortage of options for the active traveler. Here’s how to get the best from Te Anau in two days.

Day 1: Cruising Speed

**Morning:**Stay local with a morning cruise on Lake Te Anau—it’s an easy way to get your bearings while motoring around. Alternatively, if you absolutely must see glacier-carved Milford Sound, head out on a day tour tour that includes a nature cruise down to the Tasman Sea. 

**Afternoon:**Up the pace with a scenic jet-boat ride on the lake, or zip around the Waiau River and combine your tour with a guided fishing trip. The waterways are stocked with brown trout and rainbow trout, so both novices and experienced anglers will enjoy spin fishing or fly fishing.

**Night:**Set off across the lake before sunset, and head to the Te Anau Glowworm Caves for a subterranean adventure. The family-friendly journey includes a tour in dark caverns illuminated by thousands of pinprick lights. Tours end early in the evening, so there’s plenty of time afterwards for dinner and an early turn in.

Day 2: Hikes, Flights, and Bikes

**Morning:**The Kepler Track, one of New Zealand’s Great Walks, begins right here on the lakeshore. Rise early and start your day trek from the township, with a guide or on your own, or book a water taxi that will drop you off closer to the trailhead to expedite the lengthy hike to Mount Luxmore. 

**Afternoon:**Milford Sound may get the most attention, but Fiordland’s second-largest fiord, Doubtful Sound, also makes a great trip from Te Anau. Due to its vast length and remote location, the sound can take some time to explore; opt for a helicopter trip to reach the area faster and enjoy a panoramic tour from above.

**Night:**If you have any energy left after your daytime adventures, spend the evening explore the local terrain on a bicycle. River taxis and rental companies take passengers to and from nearby cycle and pedestrian paths. After you return a short ride, relax at one of Te Anau’s restaurants with beer and a plate of local seafood.