EXPLORE BEYOND FIORDLAND
08 FEBRUARY 2024
Te Anau is a small town in Southland, New Zealand, and is the gateway to Fiordland National Park - one of the most spectacular places in the world! Most travellers head to Te Anau to use as a base for day trips out to Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound, as well as staying the night before doing the popular Kepler Track.
We're big fans of Te Anau, it's a lovely small, quiet town (although it can get quite busy over summer), surrounded by lakes and native forest and the locals are super friendly too. We often hear that there's nothing to do in Te Anau... but there is... of course it's a small town so you can't expect a load of things to do but there are loads of things to do to keep everyone entertained... seek and you shall find, grasshopper!
We're big fans of Te Anau, it's a lovely small, quiet town (although it can get quite busy over summer), surrounded by lakes and native forest and the locals are super friendly too. We often hear that there's nothing to do in Te Anau... but there is... of course it's a small town so you can't expect a load of things to do but there are loads of things to do to keep everyone entertained... seek and you shall find, grasshopper!
Chill At Lake Te Anau
We spent winter 2023 in Te Anau and we spent so many evenings at the Marakura Wharf, drinking hot chocolate, tea and coffee while watching the sunset change each day. There were some pretty stones around here that we collected too and it seemed to be the best spot for them as the ones further around the lake were a bit slimy.
The lake is a great place to go fishing, swimming, kayaking, go on a scenic cruise or even take off from on a seaplane. There are so many spots to chill at - it's a huge lake, so take a drive around and see where takes your fancy!
The lake is a great place to go fishing, swimming, kayaking, go on a scenic cruise or even take off from on a seaplane. There are so many spots to chill at - it's a huge lake, so take a drive around and see where takes your fancy!
See Unique Birds At The Te Anau Bird Sanctuary
There is a bird sanctuary beside Lake Te Anau that homes takahe, brown teal ducks (nationally endangered), blue ducks, kaka parrots and Antipodes Island parakeets (which aren't native to NZ and are found here only in captivity). It's open from dawn till dusk and you can give a gold coin donation that helps the sanctuary out a lot. There are donation boxes around the sanctuary (look for the giant owls!) and you can also donate at the visitor centre. It's called the Te Anau Bird Sanctuary / Punanga Mano O Te Anau and it's a nice place to walk around and see the birds. It's not a huge place and there aren't a huge amount of birds but it's cool to see some of the birds up close that you don't often see in the wild. We had never seen takahe before and thought they were just giant pukeko and we hadn't seen kaka before either. There are public tours of the sanctuary daily at 10:30am and they run for approx 45 minutes (it costs and last I read it was $10).
The sanctuary is pretty fun for kids, as well as looking at some unique New Zealand birds, there are some beautiful butterfly wings which we loved getting photos of! I had some photos of the beautiful birds and more of the sanctuary but I lost them when my HD crashed, eek!
To get to the Te Anau Bird Sanctuary, there is a path around the lake from the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre or park near the Yacht Club and follow the path to the left of the club. It's a 20-minute walk from the visitor centre. Click here for the location on Google Maps. To learn more about what birds you'll see, click here.
The sanctuary is pretty fun for kids, as well as looking at some unique New Zealand birds, there are some beautiful butterfly wings which we loved getting photos of! I had some photos of the beautiful birds and more of the sanctuary but I lost them when my HD crashed, eek!
To get to the Te Anau Bird Sanctuary, there is a path around the lake from the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre or park near the Yacht Club and follow the path to the left of the club. It's a 20-minute walk from the visitor centre. Click here for the location on Google Maps. To learn more about what birds you'll see, click here.
Enjoy Some Asian Fusion
Ditto was one of our favourite places to eat in Te Anau. It's an asian fusion restuarant that offers dine in and takeaway. Some businesses close over winter in Te Anau but we were thankful Ditto was open as we ate there loads!
Click here for their menu, location and hours (website says Tatakai and this is Ditto!).
Click here for their menu, location and hours (website says Tatakai and this is Ditto!).
Take A Photo With The Stag
In front of the Te Anau Community Centre is a giant stag which we got a photo in front of because why not! There are some cool statues around New Zealand and we try and get as many photos as we can. Click here for the location on Google Maps.
Climb, Slide And Fly
The sputnik playground in Te Anau is a fun playground with a slide, flying fox, plenty of climbing frames and some spinny thing (it's above your head, no idea what it's called!). It's the best playground in Te Anau with plenty of grass to kick a ball around or throw a frisbee. There are plenty of parks by the playground, click here for the location on Google Maps.
Also lost the images for the playground with my HD crash!
Also lost the images for the playground with my HD crash!
Marvel At The Views Along Milford Road
This was the highlight of our trip to Te Anau - driving along the Milford Road and stopping at some of the most incredible places we have ever seen! There is sooo much to see along here and most of the views are right on the highway, but there are some walks to do if you have time. This road will blow your mind with the waterfalls, the mirror lakes, the snowy mountains and the cheeky kea that you'll no doubt meet (most likely by the Homer Tunnel). The whole day can be spent exploring Milford Road, from sunrise to sunset, you won't be disappointed!
Visit The 8th Wonder Of The World
Sure, there are technically only 7 wonders of the world... but Milford Sound is often referred to as the 8th wonder of the world and it's easy to see why. The towering fjords and thousands of waterfalls make this place one mind blowing place! It's hard to put into words how magical this place really is and to top it off, you can often spot seals, yellow-eyed penguins and dolphins here! We loved the cruise, which had big windows downstairs to see the view from (if you felt like relaxing with some food and drink!) and the whole top level free to roam. Going next to the waterfall was so cool and it's actually one of the only places in New Zealand you want it to rain when you're visiting, as this place COMES ALIVE with waterfalls!
Milford Sound is an hour and a half from Te Anau and loads of travellers base themselves in Te Anau, so they can go on a day trip out to Milford Sound, as there aren't many accommodation options. Click here for the location on Google Maps.
Milford Sound is an hour and a half from Te Anau and loads of travellers base themselves in Te Anau, so they can go on a day trip out to Milford Sound, as there aren't many accommodation options. Click here for the location on Google Maps.
More to do in New Zealand
WESTLAND HERITAGE PARK
WEST COAST Who doesn't love miniature train rides? Only $2 a pop, this affordable adventure is fun for the whole fam!
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TONGARIRO CROSSING
CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND A 19.4km walk that takes around 9 hours. You will be rewarded with amazing views and will feel like you're on another planet!
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JUMPERNAUT
CANTERBURY Get ready to channel your inner kangaroo and let your wild side loose on the Jumpernaut. Kids can be kids and adults can be kids too ;)
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