Queenstown
- Te Anau
172 km (108 miles)
Approximately 2.25 hours
Road Conditions: State Highway
The alpine resort of Queenstown is exciting and fantastically attractive. It’s the place to source almost any kind of adventure, including bungy, jet boating, horse trekking, rafting and river surfing. It’s also a destination for luxury experiences – gourmet food and wine, spa treatments and leisurely games of golf.
High country landscapes and trout fishing rivers are features of the road to Te Anau. The first part of your drive clings scenically to the edge of Lake Wakatipu. Take a break when you reach the small town of Kingston, the home of a remarkable vintage steam train. Further on, the settlements of Lumsden and Mossburn can be explored for unique shopping opportunities – a farm tour is another possibility.
Te Anau township sits on the shores of Lake Te Anau. From here, the delights of the Fiordland National Park are within easy reach, including the start of the Milford Track. Cruise on the lakes, walk the tracks and visit the Department of Conservation wildlife centre. The Te Ana-au Caves are an excellent adventure.
Scenic Highlights
Routeburn Track
In pre-European times, Maori frequently used this route during journeys to collect pounamu (jade) from west coast rivers.
Sam Summers' Hut Track
Exercise your mind as well as your legs on this three hour loop track. There's a lot to be learned about gold mining here.
Skippers Road
High above the raging Shotover River, Skippers Road creeps along the face of Skippers Canyon. Don't look down!
Scenery of Glenorchy
The only thing better than the drive to Glenorchy is the road to Paradise. How much scenery can your camera cope with?
Gibbston Valley vineyards
Raising grapes this far south is hard work, but one sip of the local pinot noir will tell you the effort is totally worthwhile.
Fiordland's Marine Reserves
In parts of Fiordland National Park, natural environments are protected from the peaks of mountains to the depths of the fiords.
Lake Te Anau
An early European explorer described Fiordland as ""utterly useless except for mountaineers"", and that's why it's still so pristine.
Lake Wakatipu
Cruising across Lake Wakatipu on a restored paddlesteamer is a blissful way to appreciate the magnificent alpine scenery.
Moonlight Track
It's not a walk in the park, but this challenging day hike promises to lift your spirits as high as the Southern Alps.
Activities
Fiordland
Dolphins (1),
Fishing – Fresh Water (3),
Walking/Trekking (10)
Queenstown
Climbing (4),
Heliskiing (4),
Walking/Trekking (11)
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