Te Anau New Zealand, Gateway to Fiordland

Te Anau, A snapshot of a town on the edge of Lake Te Anau,  New Zealand.

  By Alistair  Child  February 2008

The township of Te Anau is not the place to be if you are looking for an adrenalin rush. There is nothing to jump off, nor is there any rushing water to pass through clinging to a rubber raft. There are no multi-story hotels, office blocks or 24 hour night clubs, although there are a few good places to get a late night drink. The frantic pace of life has eased here but it is a place where you will find the tranquil beauty of a town living on the edge of a most beautiful lake, Lake Te Anau.


Lake Te Anau is New Zealands second-largest lake and the biggest in the South Island. Across the lake the bush-covered Fiordland mountains stand sentinel to the township.
Te Anau itself is a very friendly town, a family town, busy in the summer and quiet in the winter (no ski fields here), with some 3690 permanent residents within its ward. It has a strong farming population and it would be fair to say Te Anau relies heavily on tourism. This tourism brings a vibrancy to the town which is enjoyed by the locals even if they are not directly involved with the business.

There are many good restaurants in Te Anau serving a variety of food, Italian, Chinese, and others which offer good New Zealand cuisine on their menus. My favourite being the Redcliff Cafe Bar in Mokonui Street. If you plan to stay in Te Anau, there are some 4000 beds which range from Farm Stays, B&B’s, motels, hotels and backpackers. You will need to book ahead for accommodation in the summer months.





There is a lot to do in and from Te Anau without having a major adrenalin rush and your life pass before your eyes. Some of these activities are well documented in this website link and also in our Destination Fiordland website, so I won’t go into these in any detail, however Te Anau is the place to be if you want to enjoy Fiordland and really see it for what it's worth.
A rather nice way to pass a little time is to sit in town enjoying your beer or latté, looking at the mountain that you could be walking over tomorrow, or wander down the main street some five minutes walk, jump on a float plane and be in the heart of a southern fiord thirty minutes later. Or alternately with the same short walk be on a helicopter and off to the top of a Fiordland mountain, perhaps jet boat trip down the Waiau River. Maybe you may feel like a cruise on the lake with Peter Kirker aboard the Carousel, or simply take a wander along this beautiful lake edge and let the time slip away.
Te Anau also has a Native Bird Park, well worth a visit some fifteen minutes walk along the lake from the Department of Conservation found at the eastern end of the lake front.



Te Anau is well known as the walking capital of the world but is less well known as the place to be before you drive to Milford Sound or visit Doubtful Sound or start and finish the Southern Scenic route.

If you are planning to do anything in Fiordland, start here, in Te Anau. You will be two or three hours ahead of the rest.
Or if you are simply planning a holiday or a break, as a local I strongly recommend you making good use of Te Anau.