Te Anau
Encyclopedia
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.
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is on the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau
Lake Te Anau
Lake Te Anau is in the southwestern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. Its name was originally Te Ana-au, Maori for 'The cave of swirling water'. The lake covers an area of 344 km², making it the second-largest lake by surface area in New Zealand and the largest in the South Island...
in Fiordland
Fiordland
Fiordland is a geographic region of New Zealand that is situated on the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the western-most third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lakes and its ocean-flooded, steep western valleys...
. Lake Te Anau is the largest lake in the South Island and second only within New Zealand to Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. With a surface area of , it is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand, and the second largest freshwater lake by surface area in geopolitical Oceania after Lake Murray ....
. 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
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and farming are the predominant economic activities in the area. Lying as it does at the borders of Fiordland National Park
Fiordland National Park
Fiordland National Park occupies the southwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest of the 14 national parks in New Zealand, with an area of 12,500 km², and a major part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site...
, 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
Takahe
The Takahē or South Island Takahē, Porphyrio hochstetteri is a flightless bird indigenous to New Zealand and belonging to the rail family. It was thought to be extinct after the last four known specimens were taken in 1898...
which can be found at the Fiordland Wildlife Park.
Te Anau is connected by highway with Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
to the southeast, Queenstown
Queenstown, New Zealand
Queenstown is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. It is built around an inlet called Queenstown Bay on Lake Wakatipu, a long thin Z-shaped lake formed by glacial processes, and has spectacular views of nearby mountains....
to the northeast, Gore
Gore, New Zealand
Gore is a town, surrounding borough, and district in the Southland region of the South Island of New Zealand.-Geography:The Gore District has a land area of 1,251.62 km² and a resident population of...
to the east, and Manapouri
Manapouri
Manapouri is a small town in Southland / Fiordland, in the southwest corner of the South Island, in New Zealand. Located at the edge of the Fiordland National Park, on the eastern shore of Lake Manapouri, close to its outflow into the Waiau River, tourist boat services are based in the...
to the south. Te Anau is the Start of the Milford Road the Highway to Milford Sound
Milford Sound
Milford Sound is a fjord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island, within Fiordland National Park, Piopiotahi Marine Reserve, and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site...
, which lies 120 kilometres to the north.
Te Anau has two schools; Fiordland College
Fiordland College
Fiordland College is a co-educational state secondary school. It is one of the two schools in Te Anau, New Zealand.Te Anau is situated on the shores of Lake Te Anau, at the gateway to New Zealand's largest National Park.-Facilities:...
and Te Anau Primary school.
External links
- Destination Fiordland- the Regional Tourism Organisation for the Fiordland region
- FiordlandNZ.com (tourist information and booking website)
- Historic images of Te Anau from the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa