Te Ana-au Caves - Misplaced Pages

Cave

The Te Ana-au caves are a culturally and ecologically important system of limestone caves on the western shore of Lake Te Anau, in the southwest of New Zealand. They were re-discovered in 1948 by Lawson Burrows, who found the upper entry after three years of searching, following clues in old Māori legends. It later became a major tourist attraction for the area, as the part of the caverns close to the lake shore is home to glowworms. The unofficial name used by the national caving association is Aurora. The caves are geologically young (estimated 12,000 years) and hence there is only one tiny stalactite.

The Māori name Te Ana-au can be translated as "The Swirling Cave" (te: the; ana: cave; au: swirling) in reference to the water running through it. The water, Tunnel Burn, is the outflow of Lake Orbell.

Lawson Burrows and his business partner Wilson Campbell set up Fiordland Travels as a tourism company for their venture. In 1965, they sold their company to Olive and Les Hutchins, who had been in the tourism business in Fiordland since 1954. The Hutchins took over the company name but rebranded in 2002 to Real Journeys. The company rebranded again to RealNZ in 2022.

Since the caves lie in the Murchison Mountains (where the endangered South Island takahē were rediscovered), and are themselves very fragile, access is restricted. Commercial guided tours by punt through the water-filled caverns run daily, operated by RealNZ.

References

"Te Anau Glowworm Caves". RealNZ.
"Te Anau". NZHistory. Ministry of Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
"The glow down low". Otago Daily Times. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
"Major tourism company that owns Antarctic Centre rebranding with domestic focus". Otago Daily Times. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
5.14 Cave and Karst Systems, PDF 2,626K (from the Fiordland National Park Management Plan, June 2007). "Access to the Aurora and Te Ana-au system will be controlled under Specially Protected Area status. One concession is considered appropriate for guiding visitors through Te Ana-au cave ...."

45°17′43″S 167°43′37″E / 45.2954°S 167.727°E / -45.2954; 167.727

v t e Fiordland, New Zealand
Fiords	Doubtful Sound / Patea Deep Cove Hāwea / Bligh Sound Hinenui / Nancy Sound Bradshaw Sound Milford Sound Taiari / Chalky Inlet Charles Sound Caswell Sound Tamatea / Dusky Sound Thompson Sound Sutherland Sound George Sound Breaksea Sound Dagg Sound Rakituma / Preservation Inlet
Bays	Big Bay Martins Bay Pearl Harbour Te Waewae Bay
Islands	Anchor Island Arran Island Bauza Island Bay Rock Belle Vue Island Breaksea Island Brig Rock Buncrana Island Centre Island Chalky Island Coal Island Cooper Island Elizabeth Island Great Island Indian Island Long Island Pomona Island Resolution Island Secretary Island
Lakes	Lake Alabaster Lake Alice Lake Fergus Lake Gunn Green Lake Lake Hauroko Lake Innes Lake Manapouri Lake Marian Lake McKerrow / Whakatipu Waitai Mirror Lakes Lake Monowai Lake Poteriteri Lake Quill Lake Te Anau Waiuna Lagoon
Marine reserves	Hawea (Clio Rocks) Kahukura (Gold Arm) Kutu Parera (Gaer Arm) Moana Uta (Wet Jacket Arm) Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Taipari Roa (Elizabeth Island) Taumoana (Five Finger Peninsula) Te Awaatu Channel (The Gut) Te Hapua (Sutherland Sound) Te Tapuwae o Hua (Long Sound)
Mountain ranges	Darran Mountains Franklin Mountains Humboldt Mountains Hunter Mountains Kepler Mountains Murchison Mountains Wick Mountains
Mountains	Mitre Peak Mount Edgecumbe Mount Grono Mount Luxmore Mount Moturau Mount Richardson Mount Titiroa Mount Tūtoko
Rivers	Aan River Arthur River Awarua River Big River Bowen River Camelot River Carrick River Castle River Cavendish River Cleddau River Clinton River Coal River Dark River Donne River Doon River Dry Awarua River Edith River Eglinton River Electric River Elizabeth River Forgotten River George River Glaisnock River Gray River Grebe River Gulliver River Hollyford River Irene River John o'Groats River Juno River Kaipo River Light River Lyvia River Mike River Misty River Monowai River Namu River Newton River Olivine River Pandora River Pitt River Pyke River Rea River Red Pyke River Rooney River Seaforth River Shag River Spey River Stillwater River Talbot River Thurso River Transit River Tūtoko River Waiau River Waikōau River Wairaurāhiri River Waitutu River Walker River Wapiti River Whitewater River Wild Natives River Wilmot River Wilson River Windward River Wolff River
Waterfalls	Bowen Falls Browne Falls Grainger Falls Helena Falls Humboldt Falls Lady Alice Falls Sutherland Falls
Settlements	Manapouri Milford Sound Port Craig Te Anau
Structures	Homer Tunnel Manapouri Power Station Milford Sound Airport Monowai Power Station Milford Road Port Craig tramway Puysegur Point Lighthouse Te Anau Airport
Walking tracks	Dusky Track Hollyford Track Hump Ridge Track Kepler Track Kepler Challenge Milford Track Routeburn Track Routeburn Classic
Other features	Aurora Cave Awarua Point Fiordland National Park Foveaux Strait Hollyford Valley McKinnon Pass Puysegur Point Te Ana-au Caves Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Site West Cape Wilmot Pass
Programmes and expeditions	Fiordland Islands programme New Zealand American Fiordland Expedition

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References