Fiordland

A World Heritage area, Fiordland National Park is home to three Great Walks, including the Kepler Track. With majestic mountains, beautiful lakes and fiords, you'll be inspired to return to Fiordland once you've completed your Challenge so you can take your time to discover more of its natural beauty.

With so much to explore why not check out the Destination Fiordland website and plan a more leisurely trip to our special corner of  New Zealand.

Te Anau

Te Anau is the gateway to Fiordland.  With so many tracks in the vicinity it is rightly known as the walking capital of the world. From stunning day walks to multi-day tramps, Te Anau is an excellent base from which to explore Fiordland. There's so much to do in Te Anau and Fiordland, we've left it to the experts at Destination Fiordland to tell you all about it.

Getting to Te Anau

Te Anau is situated on the edge of Lake Te Anau with the spectacular backdrop of Mt Luxmore and the Murchison Mountains. On SH 94, the township is only a two hour drive from the nearest airports in Invercargill and Queenstown.

From Invercargill: it is an easy two hour drive by car from Invercargill airport through Winton to Te Anau. For a more scenic drive you can take the southern scenic route along the coast through Riverton. This will take around three hours.

Tracknet and Intercity also operate daily bus services from Invercargill to Te Anau.

From Queenstown: the drive from Queenstown airport to Te Anau takes you alongside picturesque  Lake Wakatipu and takes around two hours. The more adventurous of you may wish to consider taking a scenic flight from Queenstown to Te Anau by helicopter with our partner Southern Lakes Helicopters. Flights are obviously subject to weather conditions and prices will vary depending on the number of passengers. For more information contact Southern Lakes Helicopters directly on 03 249 7167.

Trips & Tramps offer a "Kepler Challenge special" return service between Queenstown and Te Anau. For more information visit www.tripsandtramps.com or contact them at info@tripsandtramps.com or free phone (within NZ) 0800 305 807.

From Dunedin: the drive from Dunedin to Te Anau through Gore takes about 3.5 hours. Intercity run a bus services from the city to Te Anau which takes about 4.5 hours.

Accommodation

There is a wide range of accommodation in Te Anau and nearby Manapouri to suit all budgets from backpackers to luxury lodges.

Accommodation Partners

Our partner Distinction Hotel Te Anau offers great accommodation rates, but you need to book early as rooms fill up very quickly at this busy time of the year.

Special rates at Distinction Hotel Te Anau for Kepler Challenge runners:

• Garden view room TBC per night*
• Villa room  TBC*
• Two bedroom villa TBG per room (max 4 people)

* rates based on one or two people unless otherwise stated

Special rates are also available at Distinction Luxmore as follows:

• Standard room TBC*
• Superior room TBC*
• Deluxe room TBC*

* rates based on one or two people unless otherwise stated

To book your accommodation on-line at Distinction Hotel Te Anau and use the promo code: KEPLER20. Alternatively call them (from NZ only) on 0800 223 687 - don't forget to tell them that you are doing the Kepler Challenge

Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park offers a wide range of accommodation from tent and powered sites to cabins, backpackers room to self contained motels.