Things to do in Te Anau

What are the best things to see and do in Te Anau?

The glowworm caves, a day on Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound if you have time, and a walk on the Kepler Track. Then the lake, by yacht or jet boat.

1. The Te Anau Glowworm Caves: 2 h 15 min, a boat across the lake, an underground waterfall and a silent grotto. Tour details.
2. Milford Sound: the drive and the cruise take a full day. The small-group Milford day and the Fiordland Tours trip both leave from Te Anau.
3. Doubtful Sound: bigger, emptier, no road in. The RealNZ day from Te Anau takes 8.5 hours.
4. The Kepler Track: a Great Walk that starts at the edge of town. Day walkers go to Brod Bay or up to Luxmore Hut.
5. The lake: three hours on the historic yacht Faith, or two fast hours on the Waiau River jet boat.
6. The bird sanctuary: free, on the lakeshore, with takahē.

Is there anything to see in Te Anau itself?

Yes, for a day: the lakefront, the bird sanctuary, the Fiordland Cinema and the start of the Kepler Track. The big sights are outside town.

• The lakefront walk: flat, free and about an hour return (RealNZ).
• Punanga Manu o Te Anau / Te Anau Bird Sanctuary: free, open in daylight, on the lakeshore about 20 minutes' walk from the DOC visitor centre. Takahē are the stars (DOC). DOC has changed how it is run, so check tours and opening before you go.
• Fiordland Cinema: Ata Whenua: Shadowland, a 35-minute film of Fiordland shot mostly from a helicopter by Kim Hollows, screens several times a day at 7 The Lane (Fiordland RTO).
• The DOC visitor centre: Te Rua-o-te-Moko / Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre, for track and weather advice.

Can you drive to Te Anau Glowworm Caves?

No. The caves are on the roadless western shore of the lake. You drive to the RealNZ Visitor Centre at 85 Lakefront Drive and take the boat.

There is no road, track or walk-in access: the cave sits in the Murchison Mountains, a protected takahē area, and RealNZ's catamaran is the only way across. The crossing takes about 30 minutes each way. Park in town and walk to the visitor centre.

Driving to Te Anau is easy: 170 km from Queenstown, two to 2.5 hours (Fiordland RTO). Fares and times are in the prices guide.

Boat across the lake, guided cave walk, glowworm grotto by small boat. Departs from 85 Lakefront Drive.

★ 4.6 · 2 h 15 min · from $73

Explore the glowworm caves tour → Tour details

How far is Te Anau from Milford Sound?

120 km on State Highway 94, about two hours without stops. Te Anau to Milford and back is 240 km and takes about eight hours with stops and a cruise.

The Milford Road is one of the great drives in New Zealand and one of the most demanding. From DOC's tips for drivers:

• No fuel and no shops between Te Anau and Milford. Fill up in town.
• The Homer Tunnel is 1.2 km long at 945 m altitude; summer traffic lights can hold you up to 20 minutes.
• Chains may need to be carried between June and November. Hire them in Te Anau.
• No stopping in the avalanche zone between the Hollyford Road junction and The Chasm.
• Little phone coverage outside Te Anau.

Check the road status with NZTA before you leave, and read the Milford Road 2026-27 post for this season.

Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound from Te Anau?

Milford for the classic view and a shorter day. Doubtful for size, silence and no traffic, if you can give it 8.5 hours and a bigger budget.

Milford is reached by road, so it is busy in summer and spectacular in rain, when the waterfalls run. Doubtful Sound has no road at all: you cross Lake Manapouri by boat, ride a coach over Wilmot Pass, then cruise for three hours. RealNZ calls it three times longer than Milford, with fewer visitors.

On GetYourGuide in October 2026, the small-group Milford day started from US$155 and Doubtful Sound from Te Anau from US$215. Bring lunch for Doubtful; it isn't included. Neither trip includes glowworms; book the caves separately.

Lake Manapouri, Wilmot Pass and three hours on Doubtful Sound, the fiord with no road in. Coach from Te Anau.

★ 4.7 · 8.5 hours · from $215

Explore the Doubtful Sound day trip → Tour details

What can you do in Te Anau for free?

The lakefront walk, the bird sanctuary, and the Kepler Track to Brod Bay: 5.6 km and about 1 h 30 min each way from the car park.

The Kepler Track car park is a short drive from the main street. From there, DOC gives 1 h 30 min to Brod Bay, a beach on the lake, and another 3.5 to 4.5 hours up to Luxmore Hut above the bushline (DOC). Fit walkers do Luxmore as a long day; most people turn round at Brod Bay. No Great Walk booking is needed for a day walk.

The bird sanctuary and lakefront path are free and flat. There is no free glowworm site in town that we can point you to; see free glowworm spots for the nearest options.

What can you do in Te Anau when it rains?

The glowworm caves, which are underground, and the Fiordland Cinema. And Milford Sound, where rain makes the waterfalls.

Fiordland is one of the wettest places in New Zealand, though Te Anau gets far less rain than Milford Sound (Fiordland RTO). The cave tour runs whatever the weather: you are under cover on the boat and underground in the cave, at a steady 8 to 12°C. The film at the Fiordland Cinema is the other indoor option.

Rain doesn't cancel a Milford day either, unless the road closes. Cruises can be called off in unsafe weather, which is why every trip on this site has free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

How many days do you need in Te Anau?

Two nights is the sweet spot: arrive, do the caves in the evening, spend the next day on Milford Sound. Add a day for Doubtful Sound or the Kepler.

• Day 1: drive from Queenstown, walk the lakefront, take an evening glowworm departure.
• Day 2: Milford Sound, with an early start. Back by evening.
• Day 3 (optional): Doubtful Sound, or a morning on the Kepler Track and the jet boat in the afternoon.

One night works if you skip Doubtful and drive Milford on the way out. Don't try the caves and Milford from Queenstown in one day: Queenstown to Milford and back is 600 km and 12 to 14 hours on its own (DOC).

Frequently asked questions