Frequently Asked Questions | Tracknet Transport

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS & POLICY

Tracknet Transport Information

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Tracknet cancellation policy is as follows:

  • - Full Refund if booking is cancelled at least 24 hours before departure
  • - No refund if cancellation is made within 24 hours of departure or a 'No Show'
  • - Private charters must be cancelled 7 days prior to departure for a full refund. Cancellations received after this time are non-refundable.
  • - If necessary, one change is allowed to your initial booking with no extra charge (must be made more than 24 hours prior to departure). Each subsequent change attracts a $10.00 administration fee
  • - Priority is always given to confirmed bookings that are prepaid. If the vehicle is fully booked, any booking unpaid at the time of travel will be deemed unconfirmed

The times and prices for Milford Track bus & boat connections can be found on our website in our Milford Track section. Tracknet offers Milford Track transport packages for ease of booking. For your huts, availability can be found on the Department of Conservation (DOC) website.

Our 6:55am bus from Queenstown connects with the 10:30am ferry from Te Anau Downs to Glade Wharf. There is a stopover on the way through at the Te Anau Department of Conservation office to allow you to collect hut tickets. The boat arrives at Glade House to get you onto the track around 11:30am.

The 9:45am bus from Te Anau also meets the 10:30am ferry from Te Anau Downs to Glade Wharf.

Our 10:30am bus from Queenstown connects with the 2:00pm ferry from Te Anau Downs to Glade Wharf. The boat arrives at Glade Wharf, the start of the Milford Track, at approximately 3:00pm.

From Te Anau, the 1:25pm bus from Te Anau to Te Anau Downs also meets the 2:00pm ferry from Te Anau Downs to Glade Wharf.

Our 2:30pm bus from Milford Sound is a connection from the 2:00pm boat from Sandfly Point to Milford Sound, as the boat journey is approximately 20 minutes. This service goes to Queenstown via Te Anau and can drop off at various stops along the way, such as The Divide Shelter, Te Anau Downs and Te Anau.

The 5:00pm bus from Milford Sound is a connection from the 3:00pm boat from Sandfly Point to Milford Sound, (with a stop-over in Milford Sound), as the boat journey is approximately 20 minutes. This service goes to Te Anau only and can drop off at various stops along the way, such as The Divide Shelter and Te Anau Downs.

The 6.55am and 10:30am departures from Queenstown to Te Anau Downs have a 15-minute stop-over at the Te Anau Department of Conservation (DOC) Visitor Centre for passengers to collect hut tickets.
You will need to let DOC know that you are coming from Queenstown so they can have your tickets printed and ready for your collection on arrival in Te Anau.
The bus always stops here for passengers to collect tickets.


Tracknet offers a Milford Track out-of-season Milford Track Transport Package for Winter walkers. All out-of-season Track Transport packages are dependent on the conditions of weather, track, road, and lake.

It is a long distance by road (about 250km). You need to take two separate buses: Routeburn Shelter to Queenstown & Queenstown to Te Anau. If you get picked up at 9.45am from the Routeburn Shelter, you will have a 5.5-hour stop-over in Queenstown. If you get picked up at 2.15pm from the Routeburn Shelter, you will have a 30-minute stop-over in Queenstown.

It is a long distance by road (about 250km). There are two separate buses that you need to get. Te Anau to Queenstown and then Queenstown to the Routeburn Shelter. If you get picked up at 7:05am from Te Anau, you will have a 1.5-hour stop-over in Queenstown before connecting with the 11:15am Queenstown to Routeburn Shelter service. During this stopover, you can store your pack at Info & Track (where you’ll meet your second bus).

Tracknet is based in Te Anau only. The Tracknet Office is next door to the Reception of Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park & Motels, 77 Manapouri-Te Anau Highway, Te Anau (opposite the Department of Conservation – DOC Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre).
We do not have an office based in Queenstown.

In our Summer Season we are open from 6:45am to 6:00pm daily (24th October-1st May).

During May we are open Monday to Sunday: 7.30am to 4.00pm (1st to 31st May)

In our Winter Season (June-October), we are open from 8:15am to 4:00pm Monday to Friday.
Office Hours may be reduced on Public Holidays.

Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park have locker storage where you will be supplied your own locker that can be hired for up to two weeks. This can be organised upon your arrival in Te Anau. The charge for their guests is $15.00 (no bond).

If you are not a customer of the Holiday Park, the locker cost is $15.00 per locker, with a $10.00 bond refund upon key return.

In Queenstown, Info & Track may be able to store your luggage for a small charge. Most accommodation providers will allow you to store luggage with them provided you are staying with them on your return. You need to contact them directly to arrange this.

You are able to store your vehicle on-site at the Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park & Motels. This can be arranged upon your arrival in Te Anau and is FREE if you are using Tracknet.

There is also a secure car park called Safer Parking in Te Anau where you can store your vehicle. This car park can be pre-booked online through their website.

Tracknet does not have an office or parking facilities in Queenstown. Your accommodation provider in Queenstown may allow you to store your car while you are away on the Track. Town centre car parks have a daily cost for Pay & Display spaces, so we would recommend asking at a local information centre about where the best place to park may be at any time. Queenstown Airport also provides long and short term parking for a fee.

All our buses stop at our Tracknet Office, which is based at Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park & Motels. The Holiday Park has the following facilities available:

  • Shower for a small fee
  • Spa bath for a small fee
  • A shop where you can buy drinks and snacks
  • Coffee
  • Free wifi
  • TV lounges with Sky TV

We are a short 15-minute walk from the town centre, where there are a variety of shops, bars, and amenities. Other options are: Fiordland Cinema regularly showing Ata Whenua (Fiordland on Film), the Glowworm Caves, Bicycle Hire and much more. The Te Anau Bird Sanctuary is only a 10-minute walk from the Tracknet office and is well worth a visit too.

We can carry a maximum of 2 bikes per service on a limited number of our services (we cannot carry e-bikes). Please contact us directly to see how we can help you with your requirements. Bikes are carried on bike racks that are attached to the bus’s trailer. The cost is $30.00 per bike, per sector. Bikes are carried at the OWNERS' risk. We do not provide unaccompanied bike transfers.

We do provide an unaccompanied luggage transfer service. In Te Anau, you need to bring your luggage to our Tracknet Office. You can book this service on the day or the day before your departure. Your luggage will arrive at Info & Track, 37 Shotover Street, Queenstown for items going to Queenstown, or Milford Sound Lodge for items going to Milford Sound. Luggage will be ready for your collection on your arrival. The cost is $25.00 per item. We are not able to do accommodation drop offs for your luggage in Queenstown.

If you are in Queenstown, please take your luggage into Info & Track, 37 Shotover Street, Queenstown. You can book this service on the day or the day before departure. Your luggage will arrive our Tracknet Office at Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park for items going to Te Anau or Milford Sound Lodge for items going to Milford Sound. Luggage will be ready for your collection on your arrival. The cost is $25.00 per item from Queenstown to Te Anau and $50.00 from Queenstown to Milford Sound. We are not able to do accommodation drop-offs in Te Anau.

Once you have made an online booking or phone booking you will receive an email confirmation that details your pick-up and drop-off points, departure times, and booking reference numbers.

To board the bus, you can tell the driver your name and reference number from your ticket.

Please check the details of your booking carefully and be ready at the correct pickup location 15 minutes before departure time. If you need to amend the details of your booking, please feel free to contact us.

If there is space available on an earlier departure by the same service provider, yes. You must let the driver know that you were booked onto another scheduled service and provide your Booking Reference Number. It is at the discretion of Tracknet whether or not you can be carried on a service that you have not originally booked.

Please note that some of our services operate on demand, so if nobody is booked on the earlier service, then that service will not run.

We recommend booking at least two weeks in advance to be able to reserve places on the bus service at your preferred time. Priority is always given to confirmed bookings that have been prepaid. If the vehicle is full, any booking unpaid at the time of travel will be deemed unconfirmed.

When making a booking, full payment is required to confirm your seat/s. If making a group booking, one credit card payment is required.

If there are seats available, then you can travel, but priority is always given to confirmed tickets. Full payment is due to the driver upon boarding.

We do not have Eftpos machines on our buses, therefore the drivers can accept cash only.

A child rate is for children 14 years old and younger. An infant rate is for a child 4 years old and younger. Infants can travel free of charge.

15 years old and over is at the adult rate. Children aged 0-6 must be accompanied by a full fare paying adult & conditions apply for an unaccompanied minor aged 7-13. Further details can be found on our Policy page.

Yes, however Tracknet do not provide a chauffer service for unaccompanied children under the age of 14 years. It is the responsibility of the parents / caregiver to ensure their child’s wellbeing and that they are being met or collected at both ends of the journey. Children aged 0-6 must be accompanied by a full fare paying adult. Further details on our Policy page.

You need to confirm your hut tickets first through the Department of Conservation (DOC) website before you book your connecting transport. You can book connecting boat and bus packages from Te Anau & Queenstown with Tracknet.

To ensure we keep to our departure times we have limited pick up points. The pick up points available show up when booking online, or please enquire when making your booking by phone. Many of our services connect to other services, so it is important that we keep to our departure times, therefore pick up points are limited to ensure timely arrivals.

Our Summer Timetable is daily, as per our summer schedule. We operate services as normal on Public Holidays except Christmas Day (25th of December).

On Christmas Day, 25th December 2023, we will be operating the following services:

  • 9:30am Te Anau to the Control Gates
  • 10:00am Rainbow Reach to Te Anau
  • 3:00pm Rainbow Reach to Te Anau
  • 9:45am Te Anau to Milford Sound
  • 2:30pm Milford Sound to Te Anau/Queenstown
  • 1:25pm Te Anau to Te Anau Downs
  • 4:35pm Queenstown to Te Anau
  • 5:00pm Te Anau to Queenstown

Bookings are essential

The 'Great Walks Season' in Fiordland typically runs from late October to the end of April each year. This season aligns with the spring, summer, and early autumn months when the weather is more favourable for hiking in the Fiordland region.

During this period, the weather is generally milder, with longer daylight hours and lower chances of snow or extreme cold conditions.

The specific start and end dates for the Great Walks season in Fiordland may vary slightly from year to year and booking huts or campsites in advance is required for the Great Walks (Kepler, Routeburn & Milford Tracks) in Fiordland during this time.

We allow each passenger to bring one large item, e.g. a suitcase or hiking pack, and one smaller carry-on item. If you wish to bring more luggage than your allowance, you will need to contact us at least 24 hours before departure to confirm we have space. Additional fees will apply.

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