This post is part of my New Zealand trip series. To learn more about the trip as a whole, check out my previous post: How we Planned a Three Week Trip to New Zealand with a Five Month Old.

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General Thoughts

There are many thoughts that I have about this particular part of our stay in Te Anau. It was Matt’s favorite stop during our trip. Although, the Fiordland National Park is incredible I enjoyed Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park the best (you can read more about it here). Anyhow, because of its remoteness, this was easily the most adventurous stop along our New Zealand journey.

Te Anau is a quaint lakeside village (next to Lake Te Anau) with incredible views of a couple mountain ranges. Everything in the city walkable. The Fiordland is the largest National Park in New Zealand (and for good reason, as a majority of it is relatively in accessible due to the terrain). The drive into the park can be anywhere from 20 minutes to almost 2 hours depending on where you go.

As you prepare to travel into Fiordland National Park, here are a few pointers. There is no cell service on the road. If possible, download a few offline maps on your devices so that you can still get directions. Or better yet, consider purchasing one or two hard copy maps, just in case. Make sure to fill up your gas tank while in Te Anau, it might be wise to do this on the daily prior to heading into the park for the day.

We also had trouble finding places to stay in the town of Te Anau, as several of the locations had age restrictions as young as 10 and as old as 18. Below, I have listed a few locations that do not have any age restrictions and would be considered family friendly.

Before you plan any hikes be sure to check out the Department of Conservation website. This website is the best resource and the most user friendly for your outdoor adventures.

Milford Sound:

This was the second boat tour we did during our stay in Te Anau. However, I have decided to start with this tour review, purely because it is the most well known. To be frank, both Matt and I were wildly underwhelmed with this experience. The tour was short. The boat was over crowded. There were multiple boats and tours going on all at the same time. Of course, we are also sharing a tour with a large group of high school/college kids. So that made the trip much less enjoyable.

However, if your time is limited in the Fiordland National Park. This tour is less than a half day. Giving you plenty of time for the rest of the day to go on some fun hikes. We ended up doing a couple of hikes in the National Park in addition to taking this tour. The first hike we did was Milford Sound Lookout Track. This was about 30 minutes total. It was easy to walk to from the visitors’ centre, car park, and the tours.

Another hike we did this day, was the Lake Marian Falls Track. This was a relatively easy hike it took about 20 minutes. The hike was very beautiful. Finally, on the way back to Te Anau, there was a very quick nature walk to Mirror Lakes. This is very easy and very short. It took us about 10 minutes to complete. It also has super easy access just off the road. The scenery consists of three separate lakes that (on a clear, non-windy day) mirror the mountains behind. Unfortunately, we were there on a windy day.

Heads up, getting to and from Milford Sound from Te Anau, there is a tunnel underneath one of the mountains. This is the only way in and out of the Sound. As a result, if you leave Milford Sound at just the right time in the afternoon, you can be stopped in traffic waiting to go through the tunnel for a while.

Doubtful Sound Wilderness Cruise:

In a word, Doubtful Sound was “incredible.” It was perhaps the most adventurous and most remote place you will ever visit. We did the boat tour. However, this is not just “a” boat tour. This is a three boat and two bus tour. Also, it is an all day tour. Here is what is involved:

First, you take a boat across the beautiful Lake Manapouri. This is about a 45-60 minute boat ride. Next, is a bus ride that takes you up an over Wilmot Pass then back down to the Doubtful Sound port. The drive is also about an hour. After both of these lovely tours, is the featured tour of Doubtful Sound. The Doubtful Sound boat tour is about 3 hours long and is the absolute climax of your day. After the 3 hour boat tour, you will take the 1 hour bus ride back over Wilmot Pass and a one hour boat ride back across Lake Manapouri. All in all, this trip is a total of 7 hours. Be sure to pack your own lunch. If you forget to pack your own lunch, do not worry. When you first arrive at the Lake Manapouri Visitor Centre there is a cafe attached. This cafe sells coffee and brunch. Also, there are drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and food for sale on the Doubtful Sound Catamaran.

For those interested in seeing the Wildlife, Doubtful Sound offers much more sightings than Milford Sound. During our cruise, we saw dolphins, seals and penguins. While we did not see any whales during our trip, whales do visit that area in the summer (November to March).

There are other multiday excursions that you can do while visiting Doubtful Sound. Here are a few things you can do during your stay: Overnight Cruises and an Hostel Stays.

Routeburn Track: Key Summit Track:

According to the New Zealand Department of Conservation Website, this track is an Intermediate level. Both Matt and I felt that this track was about the same as some of the “Easy” track we took while in other National Parks. This was also perhaps the longest hike we took in the entire New Zealand trip. I specifically remember this being the only hike in New Zealand where we had to stop for a breastfeeding break.

For the more advanced hiker, the entire Routeburn Track, can be a 3 day backpacking trip. The Routeburn Track, is a few hours up to Key Summit (which is a short hike just off the Routeburn Track). We loved this hike, for many reasons. First, once you get to the top of Key Summit, the views are absolutely incredible. Second, the vast diversity of landscape on top of Key Summit is incredible. In fact, the unique flora and fauna of the landscape is amazing and almost gives you an other-worldly experience. Regardless of what your hiking experience is, we highly recommend you take a day and hike up Key Summit.