FIORDLAND NATIONAL PARK

Natural, cultural and historic features

Human activity has been limited in Fiordland but there were always some who were willing to endure adversity in the search for new places or resources. European settlement was hampered by the steepness of the terrain, isolation and the wettest climate in New Zealand. Early Mâori people hunted birds here and caught fish from the sea while gathering pounamu (New Zealand jade) from the rivers. Later, sealers and whalers took shelter in the fiords and built small settlements in a number of locations.
The variety of habitats in Fiordland allow a diverse flora and fauna to thrive. The isolation of Fiordland has encouraged endemism with over 700 plants found only in Fiordland and it is, or was, home to some of the strangest of New Zealand's birds. The takahe, for example, is a large flightless rail related to the more popular pûkeko, more commonly known throughout Australasia as the purple moorhen. It is of ancient lineage and poorly adapted to cope with introduced predators. The takahe was thought to be extinct until rediscovered in 1948.
Fiordland was also the final refuge of the worlds only flightless parrot, the nocturnal kâkâpo. A recovery project for these unique birds is now under way on a number of preditor free offshore islands. The rare mohua or yellowhead is also resident in some Fiordland valleys. Insect life abounds but is secretive in general. The exception of course is the notorious namu or sandfly and insect repellent is essential for visitor comfort.
The handsome Australasian crested grebe or kāmana belongs to an ancient order of diving water birds found on every continent in the world. It is renowned for its mating displays and the way young grebes ride among plumage on the back of their swimming parents. Three of the 22 species in this order have become extinct in the last 30 years.
The blue duck is variously called the mountain duck, torrent duck or whistling duck and is not only unique to New Zealand but also unique among other waterfowl. It appears unrelated to any duck elsewhere in the world and many of its habits are peculiar to the species.
In the 1960s and 70s Fiordland was the scene of one of New Zealand's most important conservation battles. The hydro-electricity industry was, in the end, prevented from raising the level of Lake Manapôuri and it remains one of the park's scenic highlights.