The Te Anau Glowworm Caves Background Information

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1 The Te Anau Glowworm Caves Background Information Teaching Resource Package Years 1-8

2 NZ Science Curriculum Level 1-4 NZ Social Studies Curriculum Level 1-4 The Birth of Lake Te Anau Lake Te Anau was for many hundreds of years a seasonal home for the Maori. The first people to explore the lake were the Waitaha. These early explorers used the Te Anau area as an access to the pounamu in Milford Sound and for seasonal food gathering expeditions. In the early days when Waitaha people occupied much of the South Island there was no lake in Te Anau. The site where the lake lies today was once a huge gully and in this gully was a Waitaha village. The Rangitira (Chief) and Tohunga (High Priest) of this village was called Te Horo. Te Horo was the kaitiaki (guardian) of a wonderful magical spring which was situated in the middle of the village surrounded by a thick growth of cabbage trees. It was to remain unseen by any eyes except those of Te Horo and his wife if it was to preserve its wonderful properties. This spring produced fish for the people of the village. Te Horo would pray and go by himself and lower a net into the spring. This would soon fill with fish to feed the people. Rumours of war reached the people of the village, so Te Horo set out to Otakau or Dunedin as we know it today, to see if peace could be restored. Before leaving, he told his wife to get fish the way he had shown her, but to be careful not to let anyone else set eyes upon the magic spring. However, Te Horo s wife had a secret lover and when Te Horo was gone, this man persuaded the women to let him see the magic spring. Finally she gave in to his persuasions and allowed him to gaze upon the spring. As soon as his face was mirrored in the water the spring rose in overwhelming volumes. This happened so quickly that everyone in the village drowned. The water continued to pour out in unceasing volumes until it filled the valley and eventually formed Lake Te Anau.

3 The Te Anau Caves Rediscovered In 1948 a man by the name of Lawson Burrows was the first European to rediscover the Te Anau-au caves. He was intrigued by the Maori name Te Anau-au which means cave with a current of swirling water and this led him to believe that caves existed near the shores of the lake. He searched for over three years without any luck. Finally, after a talk with a man named Les Murrell of Manapouri, Lawson narrowed his search down to the Tunnel Burn area. He noticed an area below Lake Orbell where water flowed down a deep gorge and then seemed to flatten out about half way down. Lawson thought that this might suggest a cave. He investigated further by going ashore and climbing up the steep hillside to get a better view. Below him he saw a jumble of rock overgrown with fern and with water gushing out from underneath. Lawson Burrows had finally rediscovered the cave of rushing waters. With some difficulty and perseverance Lawson and his friends found an entrance to the caves. There was a small river flowing from the hillside and hoping this was the entrance to the cave system, Lawson dived in the pool beside the rock face and found himself in a limestone cave. The ancient limestone sculptured caverns, the roar of the water and the silence of the glowworm grotto enthralled the explorers. Realising the tourism potential Lawson Burrows and his friends set out to develop the area and began the first Te Anau Glowworm Caves excursions.

The Takahe The scientific name for the takahe is Porphyrio (Notornis) mantell. The takahe stands approximately 50-60 cm high. They weigh up to 3 kg and are about the size of a large hen.

4 The Takahe The scientific name for the takahe is Porphyrio (Notornis) mantell. The takahe stands approximately cm high. They weigh up to 3 kg and are about the size of a large hen. In captivity takahe can live up to 20 years however very few survive this long in the wild. The takahe were believed to be extinct until Dr Geoffrey Orbell rediscovered them in There were around 250 takahe found living in the Murchison Mountains at that time. The Murchison Mountains in Fiordland are the takahe s only natural habitat. They have been introduced into predator free island habitats such as Kapiti, Maud and Tiri Tiri Matangi. The takahe s favourite food is tussock grass.

The Glowworm The eggs are laid in groups of 20-30 and hatch into larva after 20-24 days. The eggs are sticky creamy-brown balls about 1 millimetre in diameter.

5 The Glowworm The eggs are laid in groups of and hatch into larva after days. The eggs are sticky creamy-brown balls about 1 millimetre in diameter. They are sticky enough to safely hang onto rock walls, over-hangs and cave ceilings. The larva stage is the most familiar to us the glowworm stage. The larva stage lasts around 9 months depending on the food supply. The size of the larva begins at around a few millimetres in diameter, and slowly grows to the shape and size of a matchstick. The larva must store enough food to nourish itself for the rest of its short life. The larva attracts its food by producing a bright blue-green light. The pupa stage is when the larva changes itself into a chrysalis or pupates. The pupae continue to glow, although this is only intermittent. The light becomes more noticeable in the female before she hatches, to attract male flies. The pupa s development takes days. The adult fly hatches from its pupal case, and hangs upside down until it is dry and its wings are strong enough to fly. The adult flies have two purposes reproduction and the dispersal of the species. The adult fly has no mouth, therefore only lives for a few days (male 4-5 days and female 1-2 days). The female fly usually dies immediately after laying her eggs. She lays around 130 over a period of 24 hours.

6 Lake Te Anau Lake Te Anau is New Zealand s second largest lake. Lake Te Anau is the largest containment of fresh water in Australasia. The area of Lake Te Anau is 352 km² - 61 km long and is 417 m at its deepest point. The average temperature of the lake is 8 C. The lake has 3 arms the South, Middle and North. The Hydro Station Pelton Power From high in the mountains comes the water that provides power for Cavern House and the Te Anau Glowworm Caves. Caught in a small dam then transported by aqueduct across the gully, the water drops rapidly through a pipeline to the hydro plant. The force of this water turns a pelton wheel. This creates the energy to spin an alternator that produces the electricity to power the facilities.

7 Percy All you ever wanted to know about Percy but were afraid to ask Percy is the son of an older and larger stalactite who went by the name of PERCIVAL Senior, a limestone formation who lived to a great age. Percival Senior died tragically after an apprentice cave guide attempted to use Percival to slow his boat down during a flood. Percy Junior has since taken on the Star Stalactite Status and although smaller has had an equally chequered history. Full Width (Not shown) 21.92mm 6.02mm 1637 Percy Jnr is born First European Abel Tasman discovers NZ James Cook rediscovers NZ aboard the Endeavour Cook s 2 nd visit aboard the Resolution. He spent five weeks in Dusky Sound. First contact with the Maori Sealing in Dusky Sound begins. First house in NZ built. First shipwreck and first boat is built in NZ Exploration of Doubtful Sound by Alessandro Malaspina John Grono finds Milford Sound First whaling station at Preservation Inlet Treaty of Waitangi Europeans Nairn and Stephens visit Lake Te Anau First European settlement at Lake Te Anau Donald Sutherland takes up residence at Milford Sound Gold Mining begins at Preservation Inlet Quinton MacKinnon finds a pass from Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound Lawson Burrows finds the Te Anau Caves. Dr Orbell rediscovers the Takahe Edmund Hilary conquers Everest The first man lands on the moon The New Millennium. Vital Statistics of Percy the Stalactite Average Vertical Length 38.62mm Average Width mm Estimated Conal Volume - 2.3cm³ Estimated Rate of Growth 0.11 ± 0.005mm/year

8 Map of Lake Te Anau

9 Map of Fiordland

10 The Luminosa High speed cruising aluminium Catamaran Capacity 78 passengers Cruising Speed of 25 knots approx 46 km per hour Length 23 metres Width 6.3 metres Weight approximately 37 tonnes Engines 2 Cat 18 litre motors (compared to an average car s 2 litres)

11 The Te Anau Glowworm Caves

15 The Life Cycle of a Glowworm 1-2 Days Eggs The eggs are laid in groups of and have an incubation period of days. They are less than a millimetre in width and are sticky enough to hang on to rock walls and ceilings Days Fly The fly escapes the pupal case, hanging upside down until dry and its wings are strong enough to fly. Adult flies have two purposes reproduction and dispersal of the species. The adult fly has no mouth and lives for only a few days males 4-5 days and females 1-2 days. The female usually dies immediately after laying eggs on average 130, laid over a 24 hr period. Larva The larva stage is most familiar to us the glowworm stage. Newly hatched, the larva begins to build a nest. The larva turn into pupa or Chrysalis when they reach a suitable body weight or size, similar to a matchstick in shape and size. The larva stage lasts around 9 months although this depends on the food supply Days Pupa The larva suspend themselves by a long thread to pupate. Both male and female (the larger of the two) pupae are luminescent intermittently. The light becomes more noticeable in the female before she hatches as an attraction to male flies. The pupa s development into an adult gnat fly takes between days. About 9 months

16 Ancient Water Silence

A cormorant (shag) is spotted sunning itself.

A cormorant (shag) is spotted sunning itself. Chronicle V February 22. Today we leave Queenstown for Milford Sound in the Fiordland National Park. The Maori named the sound Piopiotahi after the thrushlike piopio bird, now extinct. Piopiotahi means