I am looking for a little assistance with a portion of my
itinerary and where to spend a day on the south island of New Zealand. We will be visiting in the last week of October and we will be driving from fox glacier to Wanaka at this point in our trip.
Currently,
2 nights Wanaka
4 nights TeAnu
3 nights Queenstown
We were originally visiting both Milford sound and Doubtful sound, however,now we are only going to Milford via tour and then returning again to this area for a few short hikes.
​​​​​​We are average fitness for 56 and 59 years of age. I was thinking of adding a night from TeAnu to Wanaka but I am struggling with what area would provide the best hiking,not too strenuous. I have looked at nz websites for available walks but I feel more confused then ever.
Thank you,
Mike

So, I assume you're staying in Fox Glacier prior to driving to Wanaka?

Adding that extra night to Wanka makes complete sense - it will allow you an extra full day to explore the many walks in Mt Aspiring National Park. Two nights in Wanka only gives you one full day, and there's a lot on offer in the area.

Some walks to consider - Diamond Lake, Mt Iron, Rob Roy Glacier, and countless walks in Mt Aspring National Park...I'm in your age range and have walked many of them. I'll look up a few of my trip reports covering specific hikes in this area and include in a second post.

There are no shortage of walks in the Te Anau area either - you could easily fill your four nights there as well, having a full day for Milford, a full day to return to Milford Road for the many hikes there, and then a third day for exploring area tracks near Te Anau, such as the Kepler Track, or various walks near Manapouri (I'll post these as well as soon as I locate them).

Your options are endless.

Wanaka - Mt Iron (three mile loop, took us 1:40 with numerous photo stops), make a point to walk up from the right, which is steeper, but allows one to descend facing the lake.

Diamond Lake and Wanaka Lake lookouts and lake circuit (three miles, 90 minutes total). Drive 18 km west on Wanaka-Mount Aspiring Road to the Diamond Lake Conservation area.

Hawea River Track beginning at Domain Road - not a favorite of ours, but easy with some interesting gorge views - three miles, just over an hour return.

Follow Mt Aspiring road into the Matukituki Valley; it’s 39 km to the first ford (do be aware its a rental car violation with several rental car agencies). Walk across the Boys Swingbridge and walk along the east valley towards Glacier Burn - turn back at the homestead (3.5 hours, 6.3 miles).

From Arrowtown (near Wanaka)

Sawpit Gully Track, beautiful - (4.75 miles, 2:15).

Lake Hayes Walkway (five miles, 90 minutes), well-graded, but not flat.

From Te Anau

Home Creek Loop near Manapouri – a nice little path that meanders alongside a creek and through countryside (just over a mile, 30 minutes).

Kepler Track from Rainbow Reach to Moturau Hut (8.2 miles return, 3:45). Undulating, with a nice mix of beech forest and river views, the sandflies can be fierce.

And, suddenly, that extra day is gone and you're wishing you had a few more!

Melnq8, thanks so much for your reply and information. I just made my adjustments to the itinerary. We will be staying 3 nights in the above mentioned towns.
Michael

Another vote for the hike from Rainbow reach along part of the Kepler track from Te Anau mentioned by Melnq8 above. Some photos of our time there @ https://accidentalnomads.com/2017/09...ake-manapouri/