New Zealand · City Guide
Te Anau
Te Anau is the gateway town to Fiordland National Park, the largest national park in New Zealand and home to the extraordinary Milford Sound and the less visited but equally spectacular Doubtful Sound. From the famous Te Anau glowworm caves and the Kepler Track Great Walk to the dramatic drive to Milford Sound through the Homer Tunnel and the outstanding remote wilderness, Te Anau provides the perfect base for experiencing Fiordland's incomparable landscapes.
Elect's take
"Te Anau is the base for what I consider the most dramatic natural landscapes in New Zealand. The combination of Milford Sound, the Fiordland wilderness and the glowworm caves creates something genuinely extraordinary and I find the landscape here among the most beautiful I have seen anywhere."
Milford Sound, accessed by road from Te Anau through the spectacular Hollyford Valley and Homer Tunnel, is arguably the most dramatic natural landscape in New Zealand — sheer fiord walls rising 1200 metres from dark water, Mitre Peak emerging from the mist, waterfalls cascading from the cliffs. Doubtful Sound, accessible only by bus-boat-bus combination, is even more remote and spectacular. The Te Anau Glowworm Caves provide a remarkable underground experience of thousands of bioluminescent glowworms reflected in dark underground rivers. The Kepler, Milford and Routeburn Great Walks provide world class multi-day tramping.
Best time to visit
How to get there
What to expect
Milford Sound
One of the world's great natural landscapes of fiord walls, waterfalls and misty peaks.
Doubtful Sound
A more remote and equally spectacular fiord accessible by a remarkable bus-boat-bus journey.
Glowworm Caves
A beautiful underground experience of thousands of bioluminescent glowworms.
Great Walks
The Kepler, Milford and Routeburn Tracks providing world class multi-day wilderness tramping.
Fiordland Wildlife
Bottlenose dolphins, fur seals, penguins and rare Fiordland crested penguins.
Fiordland National Park
New Zealand's largest national park and a UNESCO World Heritage wilderness.
