Orientation
Te Anau's main street is State Highway 94, called Milford Road within the township, with the post office, restaurants, grocery stores, and most shops. The majority of hotels and motels are on Lakefront Drive, which stretches attractively around the lake. The township is tiny and very easy to negotiate on foot or by car.
Visitor Information
The Fiordland i-SITE Visitor Centre, Lakefront Drive, Te Anau (tel. 03/249-8900; fax 03/249-7022; fiordland-isite@realjourneys.co.nz), sits at the lake end of Milford Road. It shares the same office as Real Journeys (tel. 0800/656-501 in NZ, or 03/249-7416; www.realjourneys.co.nz). Hours are daily from 8:30am to 6pm in summer and 8:30am to 5pm in winter. The Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre, Lakefront Drive, Te Anau (tel. 03/249-7924; fax 03/249-8515; www.doc.govt.nz), is a must for anyone contemplating doing either short walks around Te Anau or the well-known multiday tramps -- Hollyford, Routeburn, Milford, Kepler, and Caples. It's open daily in summer from 8:30am to 6pm, and in winter until 4:30pm. It operates 8:30am to 1pm on December 25. For more information, go to www.fiordland.org.nz or www.fiordlandnz.com.
Special Events
The DOC Fiordland Summer Nature Programme (tel. 03/249-7921) presents a wide range of adventures in the national park during the summer months, and encourages people to explore some of the park's lesser known beauties. Details are available from the National Park Visitor Centre. The Kepler Challenge and the Luxmore Grunt (tel. 03/249-9596; www.keplerchallenge.co.nz) are tough international ultra-marathon races held in December each year.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
