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Takahe, rare flightless bird once thought extinct can be found in
Te Anau

Te Anau

Named after the Te Ana-au caves (caves of rushing water), Te Anau is the gateway to the Milford Sound and Fiordland National Park. The town itself is on the shores of lake Te Anau, the second largest lake in New Zealand. One of the worlds major wilderness areas, majestic scenery, with deep, complex fiords, native forests, snow-capped mountains, hanging valleys, lakes, rivers and high waterfalls. Known as the 'walking capital of the world', the Milford, Holyford, Routeburn, Greenstone, Caples, Dusky, the difficult Kepler Track and several other excellent walks are all nearby. Glow worm caves lie across the lake. Te Anau also has a wildlife park that has the rare native bird, (once thought to be extinct), Takahe.

This mountainous region of unspoilt forests and lakes was the home of two of the more remote regions of Middle Earth in the Lord of the Rings movies. The Waiau River between Te Anau and Manapouri doubled as the River Anduin as the Fellowship paddled south from Lothlórien, and the surrounding high peaks became the rough country south of Rivendell. Using Te Anau as a base you can jet-boat the Anduin or gaze at the Misty Mountains from a Doubtful Sound Cruise.

Day 5, Wednesday: Today we drove south to Te Anau. We stayed at a nice little hotel right on Lake Te Anau. We arrived in the afternoon and that night went on the Glowworm Cave excursion. Glowworms are unique to New Zealand and are actually insects, not worms.

The Te Anau Glowworm Cave adventure began with a cruise across Lake Te Anau to the western side of the lake. We sat on the top of the boat, and although it was chilly, it was a beautiful night with stars brightly lighting up the sky. Lake Te Anau is the second largest inland lake in New Zealand (the first largest being Lake Taupo in the north island).

We arrived at our destination and stopped at the information house before the guides had us accompany them underground in small groups.

As you go deep into the dark caves your eyes begin to adjust and you see what looks like a starry night: the roof of the caves is lit brightly by the tiny little insects.

The cave itself was as interesting as the little bugs. We went in small boats up the river into the cave to see the glowworms. They are affected by noise, so it was eerily quiet as we traveled through the pitch dark tunnels.

LOTR fact: Te Anau region was the location for the Dead Marshes