Things to do
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Doubtful Sound
Reaching this fiord takes a boat across Lake Manapouri, a coach over Wilmot Pass and then a vessel on the water, which is why it carries a fraction of Milford's traffic. Rainforest runs to the waterline, bottlenose dolphins and fur seals are resident, and skippers cut the engines for a few minutes of silence. Overnight cruises sail from Deep Cove.
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Fiordland National Park
Fiordland's two best-known fiords and three of its Great Walks are within reach of Te Anau, so one base gives you Milford Sound by road, Doubtful Sound by boat, and the Kepler, Milford and Routeburn tracks.
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Kepler Track
Sixty kilometres of Great Walk loop from the lake control gates through beech forest onto an exposed alpine ridge above Lake Te Anau and the Iris Burn. Three nights in huts is the standard, though fit runners cover it in a day during the December race. Huts need booking from the moment the season opens, and the ridge is dangerous in bad weather.
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Lake Te Anau
Long fingers of water reach west into the mountains from a shoreline the town is built along, and the arms of the lake lead to walking tracks with no road access. Water taxis drop trampers at the Kepler and Milford trailheads. Evening light on the far range is the reward for staying the night.
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Te Anau Glowworm Caves
A boat crosses the lake to a limestone cave system still being carved by an underground river, where a short punt through a dark grotto passes under a ceiling of glowworms. Tours run in the evening and last about two hours in total. Cameras are not allowed inside, and the lower passages are damp and loud with falling water.
