Te Anau
Exploring a picturesque town with the largest lake in the South Island and taking a glowworm tour
NEW ZEALAND
Te Anau is a town located in the South Island of New Zealand. It serves as the gateway to the Fiordland National Park and is situated on the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau, the largest lake in the South Island by surface area.
The town is known for its stunning natural surroundings, including mountains, forests, and waterways, making it a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts and tourists seeking adventure and tranquility alike. Additionally, Te Anau offers various activities such as hiking, boating, fishing, and exploring nearby attractions like the Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound. We stayed in Te Anau before and after making our way to Milford Sound. It is a great jumping off point as well as an excellent area to explore.
The Kepler track is a great hike and area to explore in the Te Anau area. The town also has the Punanga Manu o Te Anau / Te Anau Bird Sanctuary where we were able to see and help feed several of the bird species. It was great that we could see a real Takahe and not just the larger than life statue located in the town.
Video of the Takahe having lunch.
In search of a hiking adventure nearby, we stumbled upon a trail known as the Kepler Track, noted as one of New Zealand's Great Walks. It is renowned for its stunning scenery and challenging terrain. Located in the Fiordland National Park on the South Island, this 60-kilometer (37-mile) track forms a loop that typically takes hikers around three to four days to complete.
The track traverses diverse landscapes, including dense forests, alpine tussock fields, and dramatic mountain ridges, offering breathtaking views of lakes, rivers, and snow-capped peaks along the way. Since we didn't bring along any backcountry camping gear, we just did an out and back from the trailhead on the west side of Lake Te Anau up to the Luxmore Hut. This was a 25 kilometer roundtrip hike with amazing views of the lake. We started the hike early in the morning and came across a layer of fog as we hiked through the forest.
We then made it up to the alpine and got expansive views of the surrounding area.
We also joined the Te Anau Glowworm Caves tour, where we boated across Lake Te Anua to a cave that was about 12000 years old. We first board a boat at the dock on Lake Te Anau and make our way to Cavern house. The guides gave a talk and played a video about the caves.
We traversed a network of elevated platforms within a cave, venturing directly over a cascading waterfall. We then boarded a small boat into another cave that was in complete darkness. As our eyes adjusted, we could see hundreds of glowworms twinkling like stars on the cave ceiling, casting a mesmerizing glow that illuminated the cavernous space.
The trip on the water was fun but unfortunately if I'm being honest, I didn’t think the tour was worth the steep price tag of $119 per person as we weren't allowed to film in the cave and the views didn't look exactly like the pictures shown on their website, the glowworms weren’t that bright.
I was quite disappointed but that didn’t stop us from seeking out better glowworm caves. I'm happy to report that we found one that was completely free and was way cooler than the Te Anau Glowworm Caves. Check out our Waipu Caves post. Happy exploring!
