Te Anau is a small tourist town set on a beautiful lake. It is the gateway to many great hiking trails in the Fiordland area of South Island. The main tourist destinations nearby is Milford, assessible by daily tour or 4 day hike.
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Te Anau is a small town of less than 1000 people on a large alpine lake. The lake is popular for fishing and boating. There are cruises to see glowworm caves and ferrying hikers across to start trails beginning on the other side. There are also floatplanes and helicopters providing aerials tours of the area for tourists. There are also frequent tours to Doubtful Sound and Lake Manapouri.
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Favourite spots: |
The Milford Sound area is renowned for its great natural beauty. I went there the easy way with one of the daily tours. I saw seals, kea parrots, and very small penguins in additional to blue alpine lakes, snowcapped mountains, and large waterfalls. The cruise on the sound took us beneath a waterfall and along shear mountain walls to where the sound opens up to meet the ocean.
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What's really great: |
I hitchhiked to and out of Te Anau. Hitchhiking is very easy in New Zealand and a great way of getting around and meeting people. On the way to Te Anau, I got a ride with a trucker hauling gravel, and some Israelis who loved stopping at ice cream places. On the way out to Dunedin, I rode with a Maori language instructor, a pregnant mother with two children, and a semi-retired rancher.
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Accommodations: |
I stayed at Te Anau Great Lakes Holiday Park. It is a new campround which nice facilities and centrally located in town and a short walk to the lake. Te Anau has wide range of accommodation including hotels, hostels, and campgrounds.
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Restaurants: |
I bought prepared food at the grocery store and ate at the campground. I thought the restuarants in Te Anau were overpriced, which is as expected in a small tourist town far from a major city. In New Zealand, the hostels provide better for self catering than do the campgrounds. The hostels tend to provide utensils, pans, and dishes and the campgrounds do not.
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Published on Sunday June 20th, 2004
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Fri, Jun 25 2004 - 12:06 PM
by krissie
wow, some breathtaking pics! |
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