From forest-lined lake walks and rare birds to silent boat journeys beneath glowing cave ceilings, Lake Te Anau offers one of the most atmospheric introductions to Fiordland National Park.

Crossing Lake Te Anau into Fiordland National Park

It doesn’t take long to go from civilisation to wilderness.

The water taxi takes just a few minutes to cross Lake Te Anau, the graceful, glacier-carved giant that acts as a border between modern New Zealand and ancient Gondwana.

It docks at Brod Bay, where beech forest comes up to the water’s edge and mountains rise up behind.

The odd walking track passes through, but this is the Fiordland National Park.

Roads have been left behind on the other side of the lake.

A water taxi on Lake Te Anau, New Zealand. Photo by David Whitley.

Why Te Anau is the best base for Milford Sound

If ever there’s an argument for never building a tunnel, or gondola, or monorail, to slash the journey time from Queenstown to Milford Sound, this is it.

The current, extremely roundabout route makes Te Anau, halfway between, a much better starting point for exploring Milford.

Walking Lake Te Anau’s southern shoreline

A blissful stroll around the southern reaches of the lake, however, indicates that merely using Te Anau as a hopping-off point is a mistake.

It’s approximately 12km from Brod Bay to the town centre on foot, with the track weaving between dense, bird-filled native woodland and cute little covelets.

Beech trees slowly give way to crown ferns, then starker sections where creek courses have shifted over time.

Once out of the National Park and skirting the lake’s southern fringe, the photogenic mountain backdrop takes precedence.

Te Anau Wildlife Centre and the rediscovered takahe

The track eventually passes the Te Anau Bird Sanctuary.

Run by the Department of Conservation, it’s home to a few native birds.

The kea and morepork raise a smile, but it’s seeing the big, secateur-like orange beak of a species thought to be extinct for 50 years that brings on the double-take.

Even with habitat protection and offshore breeding programmes, there are thought to be fewer than 300 takahe left.

And that’s far better than once feared.

At the end of the 19th century, they were thought to have died out, but they were rediscovered again in 1948, tucked away in the remote Murchison Mountains.

The Murchison Mountains and glowworm territory

Those mountains sit inside the Fiordland National Park, between the south and middle fiords of Lake Te Anau.

Beneath them, by the shore, is the home of a somewhat less cute creature.

New Zealand glowworms sound delightful, but they’re really gnat larvae, and they use the light they generate to attract unwitting flies and bugs to their death.

Visiting the Te Anau glowworm caves

Since 1948, when the glowworm caves were rediscovered entirely independently of the takahe, these larvae have also attracted human beings.

The Real Journeys trip to the caves begins with a catamaran cruise across Lake Te Anau.

It then gets considerably weirder.

The subterranean adventure only pokes a tiny way into a much larger cave system.

Taller explorers have to duck beneath low arches, while sensitive lighting reveals the layers of limestone and sandstone that form the base of the enormous mountains above.

Lake Te Anau and the glowworm caves: Wilderness walks and underground magic in Fiordland

From forest-lined lake walks and rare birds to silent boat journeys beneath glowing cave ceilings, Lake Te Anau offers one of the most atmospheric introductions to Fiordland National Park.

First time visiting Te Anau? This guide covers Lake Te Anau walks, Fiordland National Park, Te Anau glowworm caves, and nearby attractions.

Crossing Lake Te Anau into Fiordland National Park

It doesn’t take long to go from civilisation to wilderness.

The water taxi takes just a few minutes to cross Lake Te Anau, the graceful, glacier-carved giant that acts as a border between modern New Zealand and ancient Gondwana.

It docks at Brod Bay, where beech forest comes up to the water’s edge and mountains rise up behind.

The odd walking track passes through, but this is the Fiordland National Park.

Roads have been left behind on the other side of the lake.

Why Te Anau is the best base for Milford Sound

If ever there’s an argument for never building a tunnel, or gondola, or monorail, to slash the journey time from Queenstown to Milford Sound, this is it.

The current, extremely roundabout route makes Te Anau, halfway between, a much better starting point for exploring Milford.

Walking Lake Te Anau’s southern shoreline

A blissful stroll around the southern reaches of the lake, however, indicates that merely using Te Anau as a hopping-off point is a mistake.

It’s approximately 12km from Brod Bay to the town centre on foot, with the track weaving between dense, bird-filled native woodland and cute little covelets.

Beech trees slowly give way to crown ferns, then starker sections where creek courses have shifted over time.

Once out of the National Park and skirting the lake’s southern fringe, the photogenic mountain backdrop takes precedence.

Te Anau Wildlife Centre and the rediscovered takahe

The track eventually passes the Te Anau Wildlife Centre.

Run by the Department of Conservation, it’s home to a few native birds.

The kea and morepork raise a smile, but it’s seeing the big, secateur-like orange beak of a species thought to be extinct for 50 years that brings on the double-take.

Even with habitat protection and offshore breeding programmes, there are thought to be fewer than 300 takahe left.

And that’s far better than once feared.

At the end of the 19th century, they were thought to have died out, but they were rediscovered again in 1948, tucked away in the remote Murchison Mountains.

The Murchison Mountains and glowworm territory

Those mountains sit inside the Fiordland National Park, between the south and middle fiords of Lake Te Anau.

Beneath them, by the shore, is the home of a somewhat less cute creature.

New Zealand glowworms sound delightful, but they’re really gnat larvae, and they use the light they generate to attract unwitting flies and bugs to their death.

Visiting the Te Anau glowworm caves

Since 1948, when the glowworm caves were rediscovered entirely independently of the takahe, these larvae have also attracted human beings.

The Real Journeys trip to the caves begins with a catamaran cruise across Lake Te Anau.

It then gets considerably weirder.

The subterranean adventure only pokes a tiny way into a much larger cave system.

Taller explorers have to duck beneath low arches, while sensitive lighting reveals the layers of limestone and sandstone that form the base of the enormous mountains above.

Inside the caves: waterfalls, darkness and silence

Cleverly erected boardwalks and scaffolding lead through the caves.

Often, water gushes beneath in an uncompromising underground torrent.

It all leads to a waterfall which absolutely thunders down.

That waterfall has to be stepped around on the way to a very basic, tiny tin boat.

That vessel is the way further inside.

The lights are turned off, and we’re sworn to silence.

Glowworms like a night sky underground

The dark doesn’t last long.

The glowworms begin to compensate.

Clustered in constellation-like pockets, it’s like drifting along a calm ocean under the night sky.

The quiet adds an extra dimension.

A sprinkling of magic, and a transportation to somewhere far, far away.

What we can’t see are the dangling thread-like lines the glowworms use to catch their prey.

That’s probably for the best.

Some things are best kept as a mystery.

Te Anau, however, is not one of them.

Nearby attractions around Te Anau

Milford Sound (118km): Iconic fjord cruises, waterfalls and sheer rock walls.
Kepler Track (5km): One of New Zealand’s Great Walks, starting just outside Te Anau.
Manapouri and Doubtful Sound (22km): Gateway to remote fjord wilderness.
Fiordland Cinema (town centre): Short local film showcasing Fiordland landscapes.
Ivon Wilson Scenic Reserve (2km): Easy forest walks and lake viewpoints.

Te Anau FAQs

Where is Te Anau located?	Te Anau is in Southland, New Zealand, on the eastern edge of Fiordland National Park.
Is Te Anau a good base for Milford Sound?	Yes, Te Anau is closer and less hectic than Queenstown, making it an ideal starting point.
How long is the Lake Te Anau walk?	The lakeside walk from Brod Bay to Te Anau town is around 12km.
What are the Te Anau glowworm caves?	A limestone cave system featuring underground rivers and bioluminescent glowworms.
Can you see takahe in Te Anau?	Yes, the Te Anau Wildlife Centre is one of the few places where takahe can be seen.

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