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Published: December 7th 2013
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Tuesday 3rd December, 2013. Te Anau Wildlife Centre and Te Anau Glowworm Caves
Today we had a lie in. We decided to take a stroll around Te Anau Lake which is the 2nd largest lake in New Zealand. It was a beautiful, sunny and clear day and the lake was like a millpond. We strolled along the waterfront until we reached the Te Anau Visitor Centre. We spent about 45 minutes in the centre looking at the exhibits on Maori Culture and a big exhibit on the efforts to stop the extinction of New Zealand's rarest birds.
After leaving the visitor centre we continued strolling along the lake. We saw some Canada Geese and also a Kowhai Plant in flower. The Kowhai is largely recognized as the National Plant of New Zealand. We reached Te Anau wildlife park after about 15 minutes. This facility is run by the New Zealand Conservation Department. It protects and breeds rare native bird species. Entry is free but a gold coin donation is recommended ($1 or $2) in the box provided. First we saw a Kia (we had already seen these in the wild but it was nice to get really close to
one. Next we saw an aviary containing a couple of South Island Kaka birds. These can still be seen in the wild in the Fiordland forests, especially in early summer (now) when trees like the kamahi and rata (which we saw yesterday) are in flower. The nectar gives the breeding Kaka an energy boost while they, in turn, pollinate the flowers. It is a very delicate balance. Kaka nest in holes in the trees where the female and her chicks are vulnerable to attack by stoats. Populations are in decline in Fiordland, except in predator controlled areas like the Eglinton Valley on the Milford road.
After the Kaka we came across some Kakariki which are Red Crowned Parakeets native to NZ. These birds enjoy foraging for seeds and insects on the forest floor. This feeding habit makes them vulnerable to attack by introduced predators such as stoats and cats. Strong mainland populations only exist where there is predator control. The closely related Yellow Crowned Parakeet feeds in the shrub and canopy layers of the forest where it is less at risk. They can be found in good numbers on the nearby Kepler Track. We won't have time to walk
this though, as it takes a few days.
Next was the reason M wanted to come to the centre - the aviary containing the Takahe. M had found out about these rare birds at Kinloch Lodge. We were in a room called Takahe and there was a picture and details of the bird on the wall there. Thought once to be extinct, these endangered birds have been given a 2nd chance at survival. In 1948 Dr Orbell discovered a small population of these birds in the Murchison Mountains, west of Lake Te Anau. The population then was estimated to be some 200 birds. These numbers have since declined due to the influx of red deer (introduced by the Europeans again!) into the Murchison. The deer caused deterioration in the quality of the snow tussocks (Takahe main food source in the wild). The mineral and protein rich tussocks were heavily grazed by the deer until they died. Deer numbers have now been dramatically reduced but only time will tell as the tussocks naturally regenerate, whether more Takahe chicks grow to reach maturity.
We continued back on ourselves and M fed a White Headed Paradise Shellduck with the pellets that
had been provided for the purpose. Then a stroke of good fortune. A girl from the Conservation Department had arrived - and she allowed M to go into the aviary and feed one of the Kia! - fantastic. We walked back along the lake to the Real Journeys Office. We went inside and found out there was space on the 2 pm boat ride to the glowworm caves. We booked the tickets and then went over to the pie shop over the road for lunch as we had an hour to kill before the trip.
The boat left on time. It was still a beautiful day and the views over the lake and the mountains beyond were stunning. We arrived at the other side of the lake, where the glowworm caves are located. First we had a talk and a video on the life-cycle of a glowworm. Turns out they eventually turn into flies which live for about 5 days and then die (as they are unable to eat because they don't have mouths). During these five days they lay eggs so the life-cycle can begin again. So, glowwworms are effectively maggots - but like the guide said "nobody
would come to see them if they were called glowmaggots!"). The worms are attached to the walls and ceilings of caves and need darkness and high humidity to thrive. They hang down sticky "fishing lines" to catch their prey. They snare they prey by emitting a phosphorous glow from their tail. The unsuspecting insects hatching in the cave water below think they are travelling towards daylight and end up snared on the sticky fishing lines. The worm then reels it in and sucks out the insides out of the unfortunate insect (a moth would last a worm about 3 weeks! - a veritable feast!). The empty sucked dry caucus then falls back to the cave floor. These particular glowworms are native to NZ and are not found anywhere else in the world.
After the talk we went into the caves which are about 12 thousand years old (young by cave standards!). We weren't allowed to take photographs as the worms are very sensitive to light. The limestone caves had been carved out (and are still being carved out) by the river flowing through them. There was a tremendous waterfall inside and the river was fast moving. We saw a
long finned eel inside. The walls and ceilings of the cave were covered with little fairy lights (the worms). Apparently the brighter the glow, the hungrier the worm is! At the end of the cathedral cave our group (8 of us) entered a small boat. All the lights were turned out and we were taken deeper into the cave. We looked up at the cave roof and it was amazing. Just like looking at the night sky - but with hundreds more stars. We travelled slowly and in silence just taking in the beauty of it all. It was much better than the glowworms we had seen on the North Island in 2008.
We re-boarded the boat and returned to the jetty in Te Anau town centre. At the Youth Hostel we had a filet steak dinner washed down with vino - excellent!
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