Te Anau and Manapouri: Fiordland's gateway towns

DOC calls Te Anau the closest town with facilities to Fiordland National Park, and says it has full visitor facilities with shops and places to stay. It is the start of the Kepler, Routeburn and Milford Track Great Walks. DOC lists Te Anau as the largest town for the park, followed by Manapouri and Milford Sound, and says there are airports in all three. Road access to the park is via Te Anau, Lake Manapouri and the Southern Scenic Route. DOC says Te Anau is reached by SH6 and SH94 from Queenstown, or by SH1 and SH94 from Invercargill, with regular bus services from both. Lake Manapouri is 21 kilometres and about 20 minutes drive from Te Anau, and from the Manapouri township you reach Doubtful Sound via West Arm and Wilmot Pass. DOC adds that you can walk into the park from either town.

Fiordland National Park guide

DOC lists Te Rua-o-te-moko, the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre, at 1 Lakefront Drive, Te Anau, on the main street opposite the intersection of Mokonui Street and Town Centre Street. DOC says it has Great Walks and backcountry track information, tickets and maps, track conditions and weather forecasts, information on short walks and family friendly activities, and hunting permits. DOC's safety advice is to check with the visitor centre before your trip. Its hours differ between summer and winter, and DOC asks you to phone or check its page for last minute changes, so this guide does not list them.

DOC says Punanga Manu o Te Anau/Te Anau Bird Sanctuary is on the shore of Lake Te Anau, an easy 20 minute walk or 2 minute drive from the visitor centre, and open to the public during daylight hours for self-guided visits. DOC also says it has recently changed how the sanctuary is managed, including moving some species and changing guided tours, so check DOC's page before you go. Each card is from DOC.

DOC says that in the last Ice Age, about 20,000 years ago, glaciers from central Fiordland spread east across the sites of Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri, leaving long ridges of rock and gravel behind which the lakes formed. Most of Lake Manapouri's islands, DOC says, were shaped by the glacier, which wore a long smooth ramp on the upstream side and plucked rock away on the downstream side to leave steep sided cliffs. DOC says the lake is surrounded by the Kepler Mountains, Turret Range and Hunter Mountains, and that paradise shelduck, grey duck, scaup and the rare whio (blue duck) are found along its rivers and lake edges. On the Te Ana-au Caves, the only DOC words we hold are about the rock: DOC says periods under the sea bed created the sandstone, mudstone and limestone seen there and on the Hump Ridge. One part of Lake Te Anau is off limits: DOC says there is no access or camping in the Murchison Mountains, including the south side of Middle Fiord, a special takahē area closed to the public.

Distances and times are DOC's. The visitor centre has information on more short walks.

• To the bird sanctuary.

  DOC calls it an easy 20 minute walk along the lakeside from the visitor centre.

• Along the lakefront to the Kepler Track.

  DOC says the track entrance is a 50 minute walk along the lakefront from the visitor centre, and the Kepler Track car park is 5 kilometres from Te Anau.

• Kepler Track day walks.

  DOC lists day walks from the Kepler Track car park to Dock Bay and Brod Bay, to Rainbow Reach and to Luxmore Hut, and from Rainbow Reach to Shallow Bay or Moturau Hut. The car park to Brod Bay is 5.6 kilometres and 1 hour 30 minutes, through beech forest along the lakeshore. Rainbow Reach car park is 12 kilometres from Te Anau. DOC's Lake Manapouri page says the Kepler Track has excellent day walk options for families.

• Lake Mistletoe.

  DOC says the Lake Mistletoe Track starts opposite the hotel complex at Te Anau Downs, and the lake is home to New Zealand scaup, frogs and other wetland wildlife, with views of Lake Te Anau.

• On Lake Te Anau.

  DOC says the lakeshore is a great option for day kayaking or family activities, reached from the beaches and lakefront, and can be linked with Kepler Track walks such as Brod Bay.

• On Lake Manapouri.

  DOC calls the lake very scenic, with sheltered islands, beaches and walking options from the shore; water access is at Pearl Harbour, Manapouri, or the end of Supply Bay Road. DOC warns it can quickly become rough and choppy, particularly in the afternoons.

• Check, clean, dry.

  DOC says didymo is in Lake Te Anau and Lake Manapouri: clean all gear before moving from the lake edge into tributaries or between waterways, and watercraft are prohibited from Lake Manapouri's tributary rivers.

This guide gives no prices, timetables or availability.

• Milford Sound by road.

  The Milford Road runs from Te Anau to Milford Sound; see the table for distance and time by page. DOC suggests taking a coach so you can enjoy the scenery.

• Milford Sound on foot.

  DOC says the Milford Track starts on Lake Te Anau: a bus or car to Te Anau Downs (30 minutes), then a boat to Glade Wharf (1 hour 15 minutes).

• Doubtful Sound by boat and coach.

  DOC says the easiest way is by boat from Pearl Harbour wharf in Manapouri across the lake to West Arm, then by coach over Wilmot Pass to Deep Cove, booked in advance with a transport operator.

• Doubtful Sound with your own vehicle.

  DOC says vehicles can be barged across Lake Manapouri to West Arm and driven over Wilmot Pass, but you must buy a permit for the Wilmot Pass Road.

1. 01Fill the tank.

   DOC says there are no fuel stations or shops between Te Anau and Milford Sound.

2. 02Check the road status.

   DOC says to check the latest road status before you leave; roadside signs at Te Anau, Knobs Flat and Milford Sound give current road updates.

3. 03Sort out chains.

   DOC says snow chains may be required, can be rented in Te Anau, and you should know how to fit them before you start.

4. 04Pack for the day.

   DOC advises extra food, water, warm clothes, sunscreen and insect repellent. Public toilets are at Te Anau, Knobs Flat and Milford Sound.

5. 05Know where the phone works.

   DOC's journey tips say mobile coverage is limited outside Te Anau and patchy on the road, with a card phone at Knobs Flat, an emergency satellite phone at the Homer Tunnel and a card phone at Milford Sound. DOC's Milford area page lists Te Anau Downs, Totara Campsite, The Divide and Milford Sound as having reception. In an emergency dial 111.

6. 06Empty the campervan.

   DOC says dump stations are in Te Anau and Manapouri, and there are none at campsites along the Milford Road.