Te Anau Lakefront Track: Visitor Centre to Upukerora River
Te Anau · Southland · Out & Back
This walk comes from licensed public walk data and is being progressively confirmed against the authorities. Signs on the day always win. Evidence: inferred from the licensed data only. Walked it and read the sign? Send us the rule and this line retires. How we check dog rules.
Good to know
Nobody we read prohibits dogs here, but no rule-setter publishes wording for this track by name, so the district-wide rule is what applies. Keep the lead handy, read the signs at the gate, and give ground-nesting birds and stock their room.
About Te Anau Lakefront Track: Visitor Centre to Upukerora River
Te Anau Lakefront Track: Visitor Centre to Upukerora River is an out-and-back of 9.0 km, near Te Anau in Southland.
Direction matters here. This walk heads north from the visitor centre along the lake, and DOC's rule for it is dogs on a leash. Heading south from the same visitor centre the rule is now settled too, and it is the same one. DOC's website used to say no dogs for the Lakeside Walk between the visitor centre and the Kepler Track carpark while DOC's own sign at the visitor centre showed a dog on a lead as permitted. We asked the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre which was current, and on 26 August 2026 Eilish Graham, its Team Lead, told us "we have now updated our website to match all the signage. So, dogs are allowed on a leash between the DOC visitor centre to the Kepler Car park on the Lake2Lake track." DOC's page for that walk now reads "Dogs on a leash only". She added that dogs may be taken on a leash for the whole length of the Lake2Lake Trail, which settles the Supply Bay stretch as well. Across the control gates and the Rainbow Reach bridge is Fiordland National Park, where bringing a dog is an offence under the National Parks Act.
Graded easy, it stays flat overall, and takes about 2–2.5 hr to walk.
Along the way there are beach walking, lakeside stretches, big views, and historic sites. Nobody we read prohibits dogs here, but no rule-setter publishes wording for this track by name, so the district-wide rule is what applies. Keep the lead handy and read the signs at the gate. Walkers rate it 4.2 / 5 across 135 reviews.
