A French tourist who police had been searching for since last week has been found safe and well in Te Anau.

The alarm was raised about Celine when she left a note with a sleeping bag at an Arthur's Pass backpackers last week.

Te Anau police say Celine made contact with them this morning.

Police say it appears Celine forgot to remove the note when she collected her bag and it stayed with her spare sleeping bag at the backpackers as she didn't need it anymore.

They say this incident highlights the need for accommodation suppliers to get the contact details of travellers using their facilities.