Te Anau Things to Do

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Lake Manapouri is a glacier lake located in Fiordland National Park. It is New Zealand's second deepest lake measuring 444 metres at it deepest point. It has four arms - North, South, West and Hope. The Manapouri Hydroelectric Power Station is situated at the end of West Arm.

Any visitors to Doubtful Sound must cross Lake Manapouri to join the road from the power station over the Wilmot Pass.

This is a beautiful lake even when covered in clouds.

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Te Anau is on the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau. Lake Te Anau is the second largest lake in New Zealand the largest being Lake Taupo. The town has a population of about 2,000 residents but can increase by up to 3,000 in the summer tourist season.

The town has a large supermarket, many restaurants and cafes, tourism outlets and has several petrol stations. There are a number of parks and a botanic garden.

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The Chasm is found on the road to Milford Sound.

It is a natural rock feature caused by the waters of the Cleddau river rushing over the rocks. The force is such as to cut holes in the rock to create a waterfall into a huge chasm.

The Chasm is reached by a 20 minute easy walk from the car park through temperate rainforest. Footbridges over the river let you see the force of the water close up. Photos fail to capture the power and the noise or even the scale of The Chasm - you need to go and look for yourself.

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The drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound on Highway 94 takes you through some amazing scenery - lakes, waterfalls, streams and mountains. It seems as though every bend in the road brings another photo stop.

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The Homer Tunnel, opened in 1954, allows New Zealand State Highway 94 to pass under the Homer Saddle, linking Milford Sound to Te Anau and Queenstown. It the Eglinton and Cleddau valleys.

The tunnel is straight and the road now sealed although the walls remain unlined granite. It is about 1300metres long and has a 1 in 10 gradient down to the west.

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Mirror Lakes is a set of small lakes on the road from Te Anau to Milford Sound. They are in the Eglinton Valley in Fiordland National Park.

The lakes are set back from the road but there is a well maintained track. If you are not aware of them it is easy to overlook the stop.

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This centre is run by New Zealand's Department of Conservation, and houses native birds which are rare, endangered, injured or needing special care. It is located in parklands on the edge of Lake Te Anau, about a kilometre from the town along the Manapouri road. It is a 15 minute walk along the lake from the visitor centre.

Some of the birds you may see in this scenic sanctuary include the kereru (native pigeon), pukeko (blue flamingo), tui, kea, kakariki, kaka, takahe, and weka. They are housed in good sized aviaries and information stands tell you about them.

I went especially to see the Takahe. This flightless bird with bright blue/green feathers, red bill and legs was thought to be extinct. It can still be found in the wild but only in the Murchison Mountains across Lake Te Anau.

Entry is free but a gold coin donation is appreciated.

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Maori legend told of caves filled with rushing water and early European explorers had similar tales of undergroud caves. The location of the entrance became lost in history until it was rediscovered in 1948 by local Te Anau operator Lawson Burrows. He found a stream pouring out of the hills and upon squeezing through the opening in the rock discovered a dark cave with hundreds of points of light.

The caves, located on the western shores of Lake Te anau, are part of the Aurora Caves system. The caves are only 12,000 years old - quite young in geological time.

The glow worm uses its light to attract prey and and traps it in dangling threads covered with a sticky mucus containing a paralysing chemical.

Photography is of course not allowed but non-copyright photos are included in the personal photo and information pack.

Tours leave a various time during the day including one in the evening. I did the night time one as it fitted with my schedule but I would think the day time ones with views of the lake would be even better.