What's on in Te Anau (Milford Sound), New Zealand through the year

Peak crowds — New Zealand summer holidays, Summer holidays in New Zealand

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Sandflies at their worst (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), Great Walks season (25 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), New Zealand summer holidays (20 Dec – 1 Feb (usually))

Busy — New Zealand summer holidays

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Sandflies at their worst (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), Great Walks season (25 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), New Zealand summer holidays (20 Dec – 1 Feb (usually))

Busy — one of its best months for weather

• Holiday

  Easter long weekend

  3–6 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedBook earlyClosures

  Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays, and on Good Friday and Easter Sunday most shops must stay shut unless local rules or a tourist-area exemption let them open. New Zealanders make it a long weekend away, so motels, holiday parks and campsites fill. Source ↗

Still on: Sandflies at their worst (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), Great Walks season (25 Oct – 30 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Easter long weekend, Anzac Day

• Holiday

  Anzac Day

  25–27 AprNational holidayClosures

  25 April remembers those who served in war. Dawn services are held at memorials in towns across the country, and by law most shops stay closed until 1 pm. When it falls on a weekend the public holiday moves to the Monday. Source ↗

Still on: Easter long weekend (3–6 Apr), Sandflies at their worst (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), Great Walks season (25 Oct – 30 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Milford road avalanche season

  1 May – 30 Nov · usuallyClosures

  The road to Milford runs under avalanche paths, and through winter and spring it closes at short notice for control work. Chains must be carried, and the gate can shut with you on either side of it. Source ↗

• Rule

  Great Walks booking day

  8–25 May · usuallyBook early

  Huts for the whole coming season go on sale on set mornings in May, one track at a time. The Milford Track's peak nights are gone in minutes; the Kepler lasts a little longer. Source ↗

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Milford road avalanche season (1 May – 30 Nov (usually))

Busy — Term 2 (July) break in New Zealand, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Milford road avalanche season (1 May – 30 Nov (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Milford road avalanche season (1 May – 30 Nov (usually))

Busy — Term 3 (Sept/Oct) break in New Zealand, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Milford road avalanche season (1 May – 30 Nov (usually))

Busy — Term 3 (Sept/Oct) break in New Zealand, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Sandflies at their worst

  1 Oct – 30 Apr · usuallyInsects & disease

  Fiordland's sandflies are the reason people remember the walk in as well as the view. Worst at the trail ends and by the water in still, overcast weather; repellent is not optional here. Source ↗

• Season

  Great Walks season

  25 Oct – 30 Apr · usuallyTrail seasonBook early

  The Milford and Kepler run on booked, serviced-hut rules from late October to the end of April. Outside it the bridges come out, the huts lose their heating and the walks become alpine trips. Source ↗

Still on: Milford road avalanche season (1 May – 30 Nov (usually))

Busy — Kepler Challenge

• Festival

  Kepler Challenge

  28 Nov – 10 Dec · usuallySporting eventCrowdedBook early

  A sixty-kilometre mountain run around the Kepler Track on the first Saturday of December, entered by ballot. The town's beds are taken by runners and their families that weekend. Source ↗

Still on: Milford road avalanche season (1 May – 30 Nov (usually)), Sandflies at their worst (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), Great Walks season (25 Oct – 30 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Kepler Challenge, New Zealand summer holidays

• Holiday

  New Zealand summer holidays

  20 Dec – 1 Feb · usuallySchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  The town is the staging post for Milford Sound, and in January the day-trip buses leave before dawn. Book the cruise and the bed together, or drive the road yourself very early. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Christmas Day closures

  25–26 DecChristmas & New YearClosures

  Christmas Day is one of the few days most shops must close by law, and many cafes, restaurants and tours shut too. Boxing Day is a public holiday as well, when shops reopen for the sales and the roads fill with families heading off on summer holiday. Source ↗

Still on: Sandflies at their worst (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), Great Walks season (25 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), Kepler Challenge (28 Nov – 10 Dec (usually))