Getting to Te Anau

For those first time asics kepler challenge or Luxmore Grunt runners, the scenic lakeside town of Te Anau is approximately a two hour drive from both Queenstown and Invercargill.

From Invercargill

The Invercargill Airport has domestic flight connections with all main centres in New Zealand. There are two main highways that link Invercargill with Te Anau, and a multitude of secondary roads. The southern scenic route follows the coastline for much of the journey before heading inland or alternatively, SH 94 heads north towards Winton. Driving times are as follows: To Te Anau via SH 94 - 2hrs To Te Anau via Southern Scenic Route - 3 hours Intercity (via Gore) and Southern Scenic Shuttle (via Scenic Route) provide bus services to Te Anau.

From Dunedin

Dunedin Airport also has domestic flight connections with most main centres in New Zealand. The main driving route between Dunedin and Te Anau is SH 1; this travels inland across rural hinterland that takes in townships Balclutha, Gore, Lumsden and Mossburn. The travelling time for this journey is approximately 4 hours. Intercity provides bus services from Dunedin to Te Anau.

From Queenstown

Southern Lakes Helicopters are offering scenic and transit flights at very competitive rates for 2011 Asics Kepler Challenge runners and supporters. For example $190 per person for a 20 minute overfly of the entire Kepler Track. They will work around individual requirements as much as possible. Prices are dependant on the number of passengers per flight, so please contact Southern Lakes Helicopters on 0508 249 7167 or email info@slheli.co.nz for an individual quote.

'Trips & Tramps' are offering a return service to and from the Kepler Challenge from Queenstown. The 12 seater van will depart "The Station" in Queenstown town centre at 2:30 pm and Queenstown Airport at 3:00pm on Friday 30 November, arriving Te Anau at approx 5:00pm. Drop offs at your accommodation or for race check-in at the Event Centre. The return trip will depart directly after the prize-giving at the Event Centre on Sunday 2 December, approx 11:30am, arriving Queenstown Airport 1:30pm and Queenstown town centre 2pm. Cost of $53 one way or $99 return. Book on line at  www.tripsandtramps.com/tracktransport/kepler-challenge-transport. Contact details: info@tripsandtramps.com or free phone within NZ 0800 305 807
Group charters available from Queenstown, Invercargill and Dunedin airports. Please contact us for a rate

Self drive

If you're planning on driving yourself from Queenstown, it is approximately 2 hours to Te Anau. This does not allow for stops. It is a winding road for much of the journey (especially at the Devil's Staircase along the shores of Lake Wakatipu), and there is not much opportunity to overtake slower vehicles along this stretch. This is a great drive, with lake and mountain views giving way to farmland and mountains as you approach the Te Anau Basin. As an alternative the following companies provide bus services to Te Anau from Queenstown: Intercity, Topline Tours, Tracknet, Eco Tours, Great Sights, Atomic Shuttle, Real Journeys and Milford Select. Thrifty Rental Cars have special offers for our competitors - visit their website www.thrifty.co.nz for more information.