Te Anau, Milford Sound & Doubtful Sound, Apr 2026

By Beatrice Wong
May 20, 2026
7:30 pm
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From Queenstown, I headed southwest to Te Anau, the gateway town to Fiordland National Park in the Southland region of New Zealand’s South Island. Te Anau, “the Place of Swirling Waters” in Maori, sits on the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau and is about a 2-hour drive from Queenstown. I didn’t rent a car this time, instead I took the Tracknet bus down to Te Anau. Most visitors stay in the small town of Te Anau during their multi-day visit to the area. I stayed at the Radfords on the Lake Motel within easy walking distance to the lake and restaurants.

Radfords on the Lake Te Anau

Te Anau lakefront

Sunset at Marakura Wharf, about a 20-minute walk from town. It is a popular spot with people lining up for a photo at the end of the pier. It is a good spot for both sunrise and sunset.

Sunset at Marakura Wharf

Sunset at Marakura Wharf

Sunset at Marakura Wharf. I love the half an hour to hour after sunset when the sky slowly loses its colors.

Caught a bit of aurora from the lakefront just outside my hotel. It only lasted for about an hour so by the time I got all set up, I only managed to catch the tail end of it.

Te Anau lakefront

One of the attractions in Te Anau is the Glow Worm Caves. You have to join a tour and take a catamaran across the lake to reach the caves. Once inside the caves, you board a 10-person boat in complete darkness and travel through a short bit of the caves to see the glowworms on the ceilings. To be honest, it felt like looking up at those glow-in-the-dark stickers stuck onto the ceiling. The boat ride is quite short and it is so dark you don’t see anything but those glowing dots. Photography is not allowed inside the caves. I wouldn’t recommend visiting the caves here unless you have nothing else better to do. I heard the experience at the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves in the North Island are much better.

Milford Sound

Fiordland National Park is a 12,000 sq km protected area made up of several fiords carved by glaciers through the millenia. Other than the dramatic fiords, there are also many stunning lakes, waterfalls, rain forests, and wildlife such as dolphins, New Zealand fur seals, and Fiordland Crested Penguins, etc. It is said it rains about 200 days a year here. Most people come here to visit the iconic Milford Sound and do the 2-hour cruise. Milford Sound has often been called the unofficial “eighth wonder of the world” for its powerful waterfalls and dramatic mountains. But since I plan to do the overnight cruise to Doubtful Sound, I am more interested in the scenic drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound, called Milford Road or Piopiotahi Highway by the Maori. Without stopping, it takes around 1.5 hours but I think one can easily take half a day stopping at all the viewpoints.

Along the road to Milford Sound

Along the road to Milford Sound

Along the road to Milford Sound

View from Monkey Creek, a glacier-fed spring along Milford Road on calm days reflecting Mt. Talbot. Legend has it that a settler who lived in the area over 200 years ago named the creek after his pet dog, Monkey. There are keas and rare whio (blue ducks) here, but unfortunately I didn’t encounter any except the pesky sandflies.

View after exiting the Homer Tunnel, a 1.2 km long hand-built narrow tunnel that goes through a rocky cliff. This is one of the most recognizable stops on Milford Road especially beautiful on rainy days when hundreds of thin waterfalls cascade down.

View after exiting the Homer Tunnel, a 1.2 km long hand-built narrow tunnel that goes through a rocky cliff.

Along the road to Milford Sound

The Milford Sound Piopiotahi or foreshore is arguably one of the most beautiful Milford Sound photo spots.

The Milford Sound Piopiotahi with Mitre Peak in the distance.

The Milford Sound Piopiotahi with Mitre Peak in the distance.

I was told there is only one white heron here in Milford Sound named Herman. The white heron holds a revered place in Maori culture as a symbol of rarity, grace, and prestige. The feathers of the white heron were used to adorn the hair of chiefs and other men of high rank.

I was taught to sneak up to the white heron like playing a game of “Red Light, Green Light” and then before it realizes what you are up to, you are right in front of it. Herman, the white heron, looks a bit surprised here.