Te Anau Trail & Visitor Guide
Te Anau · New Zealand · Lake Te Anau covers about 344 sq km, making it the largest lake on New Zealand's South Island. Fiordland National Park, which the town serves, covers about 12,500 sq km and is New Zealand's largest national park.
Why Visit Te Anau
Te Anau sits on the shores of New Zealand's second-largest lake, serving as the gateway to Fiordland National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage area of 4,868 square miles. Fiordland contains Milford Sound, the Milford Track (often called the finest walk in the world), and Doubtful Sound. The park's extreme rainfall — over 250 inches annually in some areas — feeds thousands of waterfalls that cascade down near-vertical fiord walls.
Free Te Anau Audio Guide with Roamee Pro
Roamee Pro offers a free, self-guided Te Anau audio guide. It narrates trails, viewpoints, geology, and wildlife as you explore — Milford Sound, Milford Track, Kepler Track, plus quieter spots like Te Anau Glowworm Caves and Doubtful Sound. No guide, no schedule, works offline.
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Signature Trails
- Kepler Track (full Great Walk)60 km loop, 3-4 days · Moderate to hard
Alpine ridgeline above the bushline between Luxmore and Iris Burn huts, with views over Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri; trailhead is about 5 km from town at the lake control gates.
- Kepler Track to Luxmore Hut (day hike)About 13.8 km one way / 27.6 km return, 5-7 hours return · Moderate, sustained climb
First open alpine views and access to the Luxmore Caves limestone formations; a common turnaround for day walkers.
- Lakeside Track (Te Anau to control gates)About 6 km one way, flat · Easy
Lakeshore walk from town to the Kepler trailhead, suitable for walking or cycling.
- Lake Marian Track6.4 km return, about 3 hours · Moderate, steep and rooty
Alpine hanging valley lake ringed by peaks; trailhead is on the Hollyford Road off the Milford Highway, about 1 hr 20 min drive from town.
- Key Summit (Routeburn Track section)About 6.8 km return, 3 hours · Moderate
View over three valley systems and an alpine wetland nature walk; trailhead at The Divide on the Milford Highway.
Must-See in Te Anau
- •Milford Sound — a dramatic fiord flanked by Mitre Peak (5,560 feet) and Stirling Falls (505 feet)
- •Milford Track — a 33-mile, four-day Great Walk through rainforest and over an alpine pass
- •Kepler Track — a 37-mile Great Walk loop from Te Anau through alpine ridgelines and beech forest
- •Key Summit — a 2-hour return walk to an alpine wetland with views of three valleys
Best Viewpoints
- •Luxmore Hut ridge on the Kepler Track, overlooking Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri
- •Key Summit at the high point of the Routeburn day section, with views over the Hollyford, Eglinton and Greenstone valleys
- •The Te Anau lakefront and control gates area at the start of the Lakeside Track
- •Lake Marian in its hanging valley off the Hollyford Road
- •Mirror Lakes pullout on the Milford Highway (State Highway 94)
Quieter Corners of Te Anau
- •Te Anau Glowworm Caves — a boat ride into caves illuminated by thousands of bioluminescent glowworms
- •Doubtful Sound — a remote, larger fiord reached by boat and bus with fewer visitors than Milford Sound
Wildlife You May See
Entrance Fee
No entrance fee for Fiordland National Park or Te Anau township. Great Walk huts (Kepler, Milford, Routeburn) require advance bookings through DOC, typically NZ$80-140 per night in the October-April season. The Te Anau Glowworm Caves tour (boat across the lake) costs roughly NZ$110 for adults.
Getting There
Te Anau is about 2 hours (170 km) by road from Queenstown via State Highways 6, 97 and 94, and roughly 2.5 hours from Invercargill via the Southern Scenic Route (State Highways 99 and 94). There is no commercial airport in town; the nearest is Queenstown. Milford Sound is about 1 hr 45 min to 2 hours further north (about 120 km) on the Milford Highway (SH94), which passes through the Homer Tunnel. Daily bus services run from Queenstown.
Where to Stay
Te Anau township has a full range of accommodation, from holiday parks and the Te Anau Top 10 Holiday Park to lakefront hotels and motels along Lakefront Drive. Backcountry options include DOC Great Walk huts on the Kepler, Milford and Routeburn tracks (book ahead in season). Many visitors base in Te Anau and day-trip to Milford Sound; the alternative base, Manapouri, is about 20 km south.
Best Time
The Great Walk season runs roughly late October to late April, when huts are fully serviced and booking is required. Summer (December-February) has the most daylight and settled spells but also peak crowds and sandflies; shoulder months (October-November, March-April) are quieter. Winter brings snow and avalanche risk to the alpine sections, and some tracks become alpine-experience routes.
Safety
The top hazard is rapidly changing alpine weather: the exposed Kepler ridgeline and Milford/Routeburn passes can see snow, high wind and whiteout conditions even in summer, and Fiordland is one of the wettest regions in New Zealand (the Milford area averages over 6,000 mm of rain per year). Check the DOC forecast and avalanche advisory, carry warm and waterproof layers, and be prepared for flooded river crossings and road closures (including the Homer Tunnel) after heavy rain. Sandflies are intense at lake and trail level.
Scenic Drives
- •Milford Highway (SH94), Te Anau to Milford Sound, about 120 km past Mirror Lakes, the Eglinton Valley, and the Homer Tunnel
- •Te Anau to Manapouri and the Waiau River, about 20 km south
- •Hollyford Road turnoff to the Lower Hollyford and Lake Marian / Humboldt Falls trailheads
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