Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: January 21, 2026

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Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Fiordland National Park

Conservation Area - Waiau River Control Gates

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

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535 m

Lake Te Anau Dam and Lakeside Walk

Highlight • Lake

Easy to walk path along the lake

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9.31 km

Waiau River

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Waiau River rises at Te Anau Lake, then flows 10 kilometers to Manapouri Lake. After that, the river descends another 70 kilometers, to Foveaux Strait.

For the record, this river …

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9.61 km

Kepler Track Suspension Bridge over Waiau River

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This suspension bridge is the second official entry on Kepler Track (with that of Te Anau Lake).

This entrance is however more isolated since it is quite far from Te …

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10.3 km

View of the Waiau River

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Beautiful view of the Waiau River

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10.8 km

Balloon Loop is a Waiau River turnoff that literally takes the shape of a balloon. By this detour Waiau River comes to recover the waters of Forest Burn River which come from a multitude of streams of the Luxmore mountains.

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11.7 km

Suspension Bridge in Fiordland National Park

Highlight • Bridge

Pretty shaky business

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12.1 km

View of the River in Fiordland National Park

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You can see the river a little

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22.8 km

View of Lake Te Anau at the Fiordland National Park entrance

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Fiordland National Park has two entrances, from Te Anau. This bridge is one of them.
Be careful, once you have passed it, it is absolutely necessary that you have your …

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23.2 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

22.5 km

355 m

351 m

Surfaces

18.0 km

3.93 km

917 m

325 m

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Today

Wednesday 1 April

21°C

11°C

26 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 17.0 km/h

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Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.

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Lake Te Anau Dam and Lakeside Walk

Waiau River

Kepler Track Suspension Bridge over Waiau River

View of the Waiau River

View of Balloon Loop

Suspension Bridge in Fiordland National Park

View of the River in Fiordland National Park

View of Lake Te Anau at the Fiordland National Park entrance

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