Te Anau is 173 km southwest of Queenstown and 169 km northwest of Invercargill, about 2 hours by road from each. The drive from Queenstown via State Highway 6 and 94 is scenic; the road to Invercargill crosses flat farmland through Lumsden.
By bus: InterCity and Naked Bus both run services from Queenstown to Te Anau, taking about 2 hours. Buses also connect from Invercargill and Christchurch.
There is no airport or train service at Te Anau. The nearest airport is Queenstown (ZQN), with a wide range of domestic and some international connections.