A taste of paradise
If you prefer your adventures on the ground, an excellent way to get a taste of the region is with Fiordland Jet. Its signature Pure Wilderness trip takes you down the trout-filled Waiau River, lined with Jurassic forest.
Fact file
Getting there:
Te nau is a two-hour drive from Queenstown or two-and-a-half-hour drive from Invercargill.
■ Doubtful Sound Wilderness Cruises with Real Journeys are from $179 a person. It also operates a ‘‘kids go free’’ special from January 11 to February 5. See realjourneys.co.nz.
■ The Dusky Doubtful Sound helicopter trip is $845 a person (if you use 15 per cent off code ‘‘kiwitravel’’ when booking direct).
See southernlakeshelicopters.co.nz.
■ The Pure Wilderness trip with Fiordland Jet is $159 an adult or $79 a child. See fjet.co.nz.
■ The full day Hidden Hankinson Fiordland Trip is $245 a person.
See fiordlandoutdoors.co.nz.
Where to stay:
Basing yourself in Te nau is the best option to explore the region.
■ Dunluce Bed and Breakfast is a boutique luxury option, from $266.50 a night per couple. See dunluce-fiordland.co.nz.
The scenery is so profound, the river was featured in the opening aerial shot of The Fellowship of the Ring as the Anduin river, the fictitious waterway that crosses most of the Lord of the Rings’
Middle Earth.
We continued down the river with 360-degree spins, and also spotted trout in little emerald whirlpools, before finally entering the glassy calm of Lake Manapo¯uri, glistening with the reflection of the Southern Alps.
We then motored to a secluded sandy beach and walked a small portion of the Kepler ¯ A Track, which passes through an untouched beech forest.
If you want to take your adventure to the next level, you can bike back to TeA¯nau on the Lake2Lake Cycle Trail.
A journey to a secret lake
This off-the-beaten-track adventure takes you to the oldest hut in Fiordland National Park, exploring a remote part of the region that many locals don’t even know exists.
The easiest way to get there is on a specialist tour that ¯ involves A two boat trips. The alternative is a rather lengthy three- to four-day one-way walk.
Fiordland Outdoors runs the boat trip, which starts with a scenic 40-minute cruise across Lake Te¯Anau, the South Island’s biggest lake.
From there, you’re taken on a secret track up through the bush to reveal Lake Hankinson, surrounded by lush beech forest and imposing mountains.
Here, with the flick of a switch, a boat is lowered from a hidden shed, which you’ll board and use to cross the idyllic lake, trawling for trout on the journey.
Once you reach the top of the lake, it’s another short walk to Hankinson Hut, the oldest remaining in the national park.
Here, you can have a picnic lunch to the sound of silence, knowing that you are one of the most remote humans in New Zealand.
The writer’s trip was supported by Destination Fiordland.
Brook Sabin and Radha Engling are travelling the length of New Zealand on a Stuff Travel nationwide road trip in a new Hyundai Kona Electric. The vehicle has 449km of real-world range on a single charge. For more information, see hyundai.co.nz/kona-electric. This story was produced as a part of an editorial partnership with Tourism New Zealand.