Fiordland national park new zealand. Fiordland National Park. Rest in the Park

National Park"Fiordland" (New Zealand) - exact location, interesting places, inhabitants, routes.

  • Last minute tours to New Zealand

When it comes to unusual travels and natural beauties, the mind spontaneously comes to thoughts of fjords - amazing beautiful places, Where sea ​​bays crash into inaccessible rocks, revealing fantastic panoramas to the observer and plunging him into a state of serenity, harmony and peace. Fiordland National Park, located in the southwest of New Zealand, belongs to such places.

About the park

Fjordland National Park was created by the New Zealand government in 1952 to preserve the island ecosystem, and in 1986 it became one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. And this is no coincidence, because these places have retained their pristine beauty and pristine state.

The greatest interest in Fiordland is its natural attractions: fjords, mountain peaks, waterfalls and numerous rivers.

There are quite a large number of fjords in the park, the largest and most picturesque of which are Dusky, Milford, Brexey, Doubtful, George and others. Lady Bowen, Stirling and Sutherland waterfalls deserve special attention. The average height of the mountain peaks surrounding Fiordland is approximately 1220 m above sea level, and in the very center several peaks rise into the sky: Lion, Elephant and the highest - Miter.

Flora and fauna

Oddly enough, human activity has hardly affected the flora of Fiordland. Almost the entire landmass here is covered with moist evergreen beech forests, laurels, legworts, myrtle trees, tree ferns and other plants. In total, the park has over 7,000 different species of flora, and 35 of them are very rare. The main feature of the “Country of Fjords” is that it the only place on a planet where glaciers are almost close to tropical forests.

As for the animal world, first of all we should mention birds, the exact number of species of which is still unknown here. Takahe, weka rail, kakapo, jumping parrot, shooter, kea, mohua, southern kiwi - just a small fraction of the whole variety of birds. And albatrosses, petrels and even penguins live peacefully in the neighborhood.

“The Land of Fjords” is a place where incongruous things come together: tropical thickets give way to snowy peaks and huge glaciers, and colored parrots live next to penguins.

Killer whales, sperm whales, humpback whales, fur seals and lions, leopard seals and elephants swim in the coastal waters. Also in the bays you can see Australian bottlenose dolphins and at least three species of dolphins. The most striking representatives of the fauna on land are couscous and wapiti deer.

Note that visitors can not only admire nature, but also relax in the park: fly on a light aircraft, swim in a kayak or boat, dive underwater, ride a bike or jeep, go fishing or visit an underwater observatory.

Practical information

To get to “Fiordland” you first need to get to the town of Te Anau, and then to the Milford Sound fjord by car (you can rent it in Te Anau) or to Lake Manapouri by bus. Another option is to fly to the city of Dandida, and from there to the town of Glenorchy, which is next to the park. Visiting the park is free.

Covering an area of ​​1260 hectares, Fiordland Park is New Zealand's largest national park and is located in the southwest South Island. This vast area is home to some of the country's most scenic landmarks, including Milford Sound, Sutherland Falls, Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau.









Fiordland was included in the list in 1990 World Heritage UN and was named Te Wahipounamu - “jade place”, thanks to the largest jade deposits in the surrounding area.

Fiordland is one of the wettest regions of New Zealand - it rains here 200 days a year. Huge masses of water, discolored after flowing through forests and many layers of rotten foliage, flow into the fiords. This water then acquires a yellow-brown color and forms a layer above the seawater that fills the fjords, and thus only greenish light penetrates the surface.



The hilly terrain, isolation and humid climate created a natural habitat where many plant and animal species dating back thousands of years existed peacefully here. The takahe bird, thought to be long extinct, was rediscovered in Fiordland in 1948. Fiordland was also the last refuge of the flightless parrot, the kakapo, a species for which a separate program was created to restore its population. ()

Takahe


They were hunted by local Maori tribes for their plumage. By the time Europeans arrived on the islands, it was believed that the birds had been completely destroyed.
Only in 1948, an amateur naturalist from a small New Zealand town, Jeffrey Orbell, after almost a year of systematic searches in the area of ​​Lake Te Anau, discovered a small colony of birds.
The birds were photographed, banded and released. The New Zealand government decided to declare this area a nature reserve.

Fifty takahes lived peacefully. But since there was a threat in the form of voracious weasels and opossums, a nursery was created as a safety net.
The nursery was built on Mount Bruce, one hundred and thirty kilometers from Wellington. It was decided to get takahe eggs and place them under the bantam chickens.
The most diligent hens were specially selected. They trained them like paratroopers. We chose one, but misfortune happened: a box with a chicken and training eggs fell out of the car. However, I was lucky - not a single egg broke. When they opened the box, they saw a ruffled hen covering the eggs with her body.
The operation began successfully, two chicks hatched in due time, from which the revival of Tahake began.
Rare takahe birds can be seen in natural environment habitat, on Lake Te Anau.

Kakapo


This is a representative of the genus of owl parrots or, as they are also called, kakapo. The number of these birds barely reaches 125 individuals, which makes them the rarest birds on the planet.

The only parrot that leads a twilight and nocturnal lifestyle. During the day, it hides in burrows or rock crevices. At night, it comes out along well-trodden paths to feed on berries or plant juice (chews leaves and shoots without tearing them off). ()

Fiordland is a national park in New Zealand. With an area of ​​12,500 km2, it is the largest in the country. Fiordland National Park was founded in 1952. The park is bordered on the western border by the fjords of the Tasman Sea, and on the eastern side by lakes. The lakes in Fiordland are some of the deepest in New Zealand, and the mountains are up to 2746 meters high.

Together with Mount Cook, Westland and Mount Aspiring National Parks, Fiordland forms the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area. The park contains some of the ancient natural complexes planets. The nature of these consists of alpine valleys and subtropical forests, which sharply distinguishes the park from the rest of the island. Previously, this area was covered with glaciers, which formed fjords and gorges.

Tourists arriving here are struck by the lack of human activity. It’s as if these places have never even been visited. it's hard to find here appropriate place for housing. In addition, the proximity of glaciers to evergreen forests is surprising.

Lakes deserve a separate article national park, because they have rich story. One of the deepest and longest of them is Waikatipu. Its length is more than 100 km, and its depth reaches 400 meters. 25 rivers without names carry their water to it; they are simply numbered on the map. Because of its peculiarity, the lake is sometimes called the “heart of the South Island”. The water in the lake rises by 7 cm approximately every 5 minutes and almost immediately returns to its previous position. A reasonable explanation has not yet been given for such a phenomenon. But local residents There is an explanation for this - the giant’s heart beats there.

According to an ancient Maori legend, the daughter of Chief Manata once lived here, who fell in love with the hunter Matakauri. One day a mighty giant attacked their tribe and took the girl captive. then he called all the warriors and ordered them to save Manata, and he promised to give her to the one who saves her as a wife. Everyone except Matakauri was afraid of the giant and he had to go alone to the monster to his death. Having risen high into the mountains, the hunter found the leader's daughter tied to a tree, and a giant was sleeping nearby. The young man took the girl to the tribe, and he himself returned to the mountains, since the giant must be killed, otherwise he will take revenge. While the giant was sleeping, ahead of the mountains, Matakauri covered him with brushwood for several days. He set fire to the brushwood and the flames engulfed the giant, the sun was clouded with smoke, and the heat was so strong that it burned the ground, forming a huge depression. Over time, showers and waters mountain rivers filled the hole, which was later called Lake Waikatipu. But what remains of the giant is a mighty heart that lies deep under the water, and with each blow the water in the lake rises and immediately falls.

The national park is home to unique birds - rare kakapo parrots, which live underground, feeding on worms and snails. Also living here is the predatory kea parrot, which can cut the carcass of a dead sheep down to its skeleton. They were almost completely exterminated by farmers, because they believed that kea sat on the backs of sheep and tore them apart alive. Previously, there were no ships with freezers, so the wool was sent to the UK, but the cape was thrown away, and the winged “orderlies” ate it. According to zoologists, kea does not attack living sheep.

The South Island was once called "the habitat of the takahe". Tatahe is a bird the size of a goose and unable to fly. It is distinguished by its bright and lush plumage, powerful legs and a short, thick red beak. With the arrival of Europeans it was exterminated. But in 1948, near Lake Te Anau, amateur naturalist Orbell found a bird that was previously considered extinct. This became one of the largest ornithological discoveries of the 20th century.

In addition to these rare birds, other birds can be found in Fiordland National Park: kiwi, rock wrens, clubbills, New Zealand ducks, wekarallas, yellow crows, and many species of parrots. There are many types of food available for them, including 3,000 varieties of insects. Of these, 10% can be found exclusively in the national park. Deer, couscous, rats, and elk, brought by Europeans, were able to adapt here. In the waters of the fjords you can meet seals, sponges, mollusks, albatrosses, petrels, penguins, including the rare New Zealand crested penguin.

The Fiordland mountain ranges are considered to be some of the wettest areas in the world. It rains here almost 200 days a year, which falls uniformly throughout the year. Because of which, in the fjords there is always a layer of fresh water of 40 meters. average temperature July - 5°C, and in January - 23°C.

Fiordland National Park is located in New Zealand. This is one of the largest national parks on our planet, its area exceeds 12,500 square kilometers. The park was created back in 1952 to preserve the incredible beauty of the southwestern part of the South Island of New Zealand. And in 1990 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Fiordland National Park - amazing place with picturesque landscapes and unique flora and fauna. The flow of tourists here is so large that the government has to limit their number. Walking excursions are organized here for numerous guests of the country and local residents. It is noteworthy that in the territory of this huge park you will not meet animals that could pose a danger to your life.

The western part of the park is decorated with fjords - long bays with steep rocky shores. Located in the east beautiful lakes, among which famous lake Manapouri is the most deep lake on the territory of New Zealand.

All these beauties are diluted mountain ranges, the height of which reaches 2746 meters here. The western slopes of these mountains are among the wettest places on our planet. It rains here 200 days a year, but the precipitation falls very evenly.

The climate in the Fiordland National Park is sharply oceanic, the temperature difference is small, air temperatures range from 5 to 23 degrees. The coldest month of the year is July, and the hottest month is January.

Such weather contribute to the healthy existence of wet tropical forests on the slopes of the mountains, these forests are considered the most ancient on our planet, and the water level in the fjords remains unchanged, they reach about 40 meters in depth, the water in them is fresh.

Flora and fauna of the national park

The Fiordland National Park is home to rare species of plants and animals. Here you can find a rare species of wood - silver nothofagus, whose age can reach 800 years. Numerous swamps in the park have unique vegetation.

The population of forest birds in the national park is the highest in New Zealand. Rare species such as the kakapo and takahe parrots are found here. In addition, the park is home to such bird species as the southern kiwi, yellow-fronted jumping parrot, crooked plover, shooter, blue duck, rock wren, and weca rail. A huge number of seabirds have chosen the rocky shores of the fjords. In addition, New Zealand fur seals and thick-billed penguins live in the fjords.

The reservoirs of Fiordland National Park are famous for their diversity of plants and animals; subtropical sponges, mollusks and corals live here. It is worth noting that the largest colony of black corals on the planet found refuge here.

Among other things, approximately three thousand people live in the national park. different types insects, a tenth of which are found only here. In Fiordland you can also find representatives of flora and fauna brought from other continents, for example, rats or elk deer.

Glaciers of Fiordland

The bays in the west of the national park were cut by glaciers a long time ago. Once upon a time, a huge glacier covered the entire territory of what is now Fiordland, but now in this unique corner of the planet you can see what is left of it. However, the view is simply stunning.

Lakes of the national park

Between mountain peaks located on the territory of the park great amount lakes Lake Wakatipu stands out against their background, the length of which is 80 kilometers! People call it “the heart of the South Island”; there are many legends about this lake.

Fiordland waterfalls

After heavy rains, in the territory of the largest national park in New Zealand, you can see an incredibly beautiful sight - streams of water begin to flow down steep slopes, forming many waterfalls. Small streams never reach the surface of the earth, falling down, and on the way they are blown by the wind.

However, there are two permanent waterfalls in the park - Bowen Falls, which reaches a height of 162 meters and Stirling Falls, which reaches a height of 155 meters. They both add to the already spectacular scenery of Fiordland National Park.

Covering an area of ​​1260 hectares, Fiordland Park is New Zealand's largest national park and is located in the southwest of the South Island. This vast area is home to some of the country's most scenic landmarks, including Milford Sound, Sutherland Falls, Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau.









In 1990, Fiordland was included in the UN World Heritage List and was named Te Wahipounamu - "the place of jade", due to the largest jade deposits in the area.

Fiordland is one of the wettest regions of New Zealand - it rains here 200 days a year. Huge masses of water, discolored after flowing through forests and many layers of rotten foliage, flow into the fiords. This water then acquires a yellow-brown color and forms a layer above the seawater that fills the fjords, and thus only greenish light penetrates the surface.



The hilly terrain, isolation and humid climate created a natural habitat where many plant and animal species dating back thousands of years existed peacefully here. The takahe bird, thought to be long extinct, was rediscovered in Fiordland in 1948. Fiordland was also the last refuge of the flightless parrot, the kakapo, a species for which a separate program was created to restore its population. ()

Takahe


They were hunted by local Maori tribes for their plumage. By the time Europeans arrived on the islands, it was believed that the birds had been completely destroyed.
Only in 1948, an amateur naturalist from a small New Zealand town, Jeffrey Orbell, after almost a year of systematic searches in the area of ​​Lake Te Anau, discovered a small colony of birds.
The birds were photographed, banded and released. The New Zealand government decided to declare this area a nature reserve.

Fifty takahes lived peacefully. But since there was a threat in the form of voracious weasels and opossums, a nursery was created as a safety net.
The nursery was built on Mount Bruce, one hundred and thirty kilometers from Wellington. It was decided to get takahe eggs and place them under the bantam chickens.
The most diligent hens were specially selected. They trained them like paratroopers. We chose one, but misfortune happened: a box with a chicken and training eggs fell out of the car. However, I was lucky - not a single egg broke. When they opened the box, they saw a ruffled hen covering the eggs with her body.
The operation began successfully, two chicks hatched in due time, from which the revival of Tahake began.
Rare takahe birds can be seen in their natural habitat, Lake Te Anau.

Kakapo


This is a representative of the genus of owl parrots or, as they are also called, kakapo. The number of these birds barely reaches 125 individuals, which makes them the rarest birds on the planet.

The only parrot that leads a twilight and nocturnal lifestyle. During the day, it hides in burrows or rock crevices. At night, it comes out along well-trodden paths to feed on berries or plant juice (chews leaves and shoots without tearing them off). ()

 

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