Boating Lake Te Anau and Lake Manapouri

We are lucky to have both Lake Te Anau and Lake Manapouri within twenty minutes drive of each other.  Both lakes are popular for their excellent trout fishing and recreational boating in the summer.

LAKE MANAPOURI is a picturesque lake framed by the spectacular Cathedral Mountains and is the access lake to Doubtful Sound.  Pearl Harbour, adjacent to the Manapouri township, is the gateway to the variety of excursions undertaken on Lake Manapouri and Doubtful Sound.  Launch trips on Doubtful Sound begin with a launch trip across Lake Manapouri to West Arm, a visit to the West Arm undergound power station, and a bus trip over the majestic Wilmot Pass to Deep Cove.

LAKE TE ANAU is the largest lake in the South Island and second largest in the New Zealand behind Lake Taupo.  It covers an area of 344 kms and the main body of the lake runs north-south and is 65km in length.  Three large fiords form arms to the lake on its western side: North Fiord, Middle Fiord and South Fiord and several small islands lie in the entrance to the Middle Fiord.  Several rivers feed the lake and most of the lake is within the Fiordland National Park and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site.

Two New Zealand Great Walks start at the lake, the Milford Track starts at the northern tip of the lake and the Kepler Track starts and ends at the south tip of the lake at the Waiau River.  Several species of endangered birds live around the shores of Lake Te Anau, notably the Takahe (Notornis hochstetteri).  An area between the Middle and South Fiords called the Murchison Mountains is a sanctuary set aside for these birds.  The western shore of the lake also features the Te Ana-au Caves, from which the lake gets its name

Because of the near vicinity of the mountains both lakes have natural shelter from wind or inclement weather and there is usually always somewhere sheltered to boat on either of the lakes.