Te Anau Hotels

Te Anau is a town in the South Island of New Zealand. It is on the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau in Fiordland. Lake Te Anau is the largest lake in the South Island and second only within New Zealand to Lake Taupo. The 2001 census recorded the town's population as 1,857. The town has a wide range of accommodation, with over 3,000 beds available in summer. Tourism and farming are the predominant economic activities in the area. Lying as it does at the borders of Fiordland National Park, it is the gateway to a wilderness area famed for tramping and spectacular scenery. Many species of bird life are also found locally, notably the endangered Takahe which can be found at the Fiordland Wildlife Park. Te Anau is connected by highway with Invercargill to the southeast, Queenstown to the northeast, Gore to the east, and Manapouri to the south. Te Anau is the Start of the Milford Road the Highway to Milford Sound, which lies 120 kilometres to the north. Te Anau has two schools; Fiordland College and Te Anau Primary school. Peaceful, lakeside Te Anau township is a good base for trekkers and visitors travelling to Milford Sound, and an ideal place to recharge your batteries. The tourism industry has ensured there's always plenty to do here. Alternatively, on a sunny day it's a beautiful place to just sit around and do very little at all. Lake Te Anau defines the boundary of two very different countrysides: to the east are the relatively flat, pastoral areas of central Southland, while immediately west across the lake lie the rugged forested mountains of Fiordland. NZ's second-largest lake, Te Anau was gouged out by a huge glacier, and has several arms that penetrate into the mountainous forested western shore. Its deep too – it's deepest point is 417m, or about twice the depth of Loch Ness, so take that, Nessie.