We are at the south end of the South Island. The town of Te Anu is the gateway to the immense Fiordland National Park. Much of this park is completely untouched by humans. The people who visit are interested in outdoor recreation like hiking, rock climbing, cycling, and kayaking. Tomorrow, we will also be taking a morning cruise on the starkly beautiful Milford Sound, later in the visit.
In the southern hemisphere, moving south means getting colder. And as we’ve done that, the vegetation has changed. As we moved into the cold south, we entered beech forest– not the same beech (Fagus) genus as in North America and Europe, but Nothofagus, now in a its own family, and actually not that closely related to our beeches at home. Nothofagus are only found in Australasia and the tip of South America; more evidence of the Gondwanaland that seperated long ago.
For much of the hike we saw two dominant species, the Nothofagus, which is commonly called beech here, and a fern that grew in distinct tussocks. It was very striking.
The tracks on these hikes have been so very well managed. It is wet here, but the tracks are usually built up a bit from the forest floor and well drained. When we cross wide rivers, the custom seems to be to build a suspension bridge. They swing a bit from under your feet when you cross; it’s like walking on a ship in rough sea if there are several others on the bridge.
I’m trying to learn the birds a bit. I usually don’t photograph birds because I feel like I usually just get silhouettes with my cell phone, and the digital zoom loses resolution. Nevertheless, I’ve changed my habit while I’m here, and got a couple of photos that I really liked:
These birds were particularly accommodating. The pēwakawaka (fantails) are especially curious and “social.” They like to come near groups to see if anyone kicks up a morsel from the soil on the trails. Their fantails are broader than my photo shows, and often that’s the part of the bird that catches a hiker’s eye.
Our turnaround point was Lake Manaouri. Kepler Track is a popular trail and there are huts along the way, although it sounds like hikers have to work hard to get a reservation. The trails are much less crowded due the to care the Dept. of Conservation takes in managing the numbers of hikers.
On the way back to town we stopped at a Takahē refuge. For the first half of the 20th century, these birds were thought to be extinct. Then a few were discovered in Fiordland National Park, and a breeding center was established. There are now a few hundred of them.
As plump ground dwelling birds, the takahē were no match for the introduced possum, stoats, and rats. In the breeding center they can be protected from these. As the birds have been returned to the wild, they have been placed on remote islands where the predators can be controlled.
In the late afternoon, we boarded a boat to shuttle across the lake to pay a visit to glow worms that live in a limestone cave. It was a unique experience. The cave has a set of bridges that carry small groups of visitors over rushing water. We had to duck under dripping rocks from time to time. Eventually we reached a platform and boarded a boat with two long back-to-back bench seats. In total darkness we were pushed through a grotto. Training our eyes up, we saw points of light, each produced by a chemical reaction in the nether regions of a fly larva.
I’m sorry that no photos were permitted of that part; it was rather magical. For some reason, our kind guide did turn the other way and permit photos of the sluice waterfall, and the sticky strands that glow worms use to catch prey. Each glow worm makes one strand.
The caves were a nice ending to the day. The name of the town, Te Anu, is Māori for something like “the cave of the swirling water,” so the town takes its name from the cave across the lake.
