Aurora Cave

Last updated

Aurora Cave is a limestone cave, part of the Te Ana-au Caves in Fiordland, in the South Island of New Zealand on the western side of a deep glacial trough containing Lake Te Anau. Aurora Cave is separated by a sump from Te Ana-au Cave (a tourist cave). The cave has been formed by the Tunnel Burn, which drains from Lake Orbell in the Takahe valley. [1] Aurora Cave is 267 metres deep and 6 km. long. [2] [3] Around 1988, a subfossil of an extinct species of frog were discovered. It was named the Aurora frog (Leiopelma auroraensis).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiordland</span> Geographical region of New Zealand

Fiordland is a geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the westernmost third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lakes, and its steep, glacier-carved and now ocean-flooded western valleys. The name "Fiordland" comes from a variant spelling of the Scandinavian word for this type of steep valley, "fjord". The area of Fiordland is dominated by, and very roughly coterminous with, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand's largest National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Browne Falls</span> Waterfall in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand

Browne Falls is a waterfall above Doubtful Sound, which is located in Fiordland National Park, New Zealand. In a temperate rain forest, the falls cascade down to the fiord near Hall Arm. Heights of 619 metres and 836 metres have been given for the falls. Their source is a tarn called Lake Browne which when full, overflows down the side of the mountain face. The stream makes 836 m height difference over 1,130 m horizontal difference, thus the mean gradient of stream is 42 degrees. This comparatively low angle makes the falls less impressive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiordland National Park</span> National park on South Island of New Zealand

Fiordland National Park occupies the southwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand. It is by far the largest of the 13 national parks in New Zealand, with an area of 12,607 square kilometres (4,868 sq mi), and a major part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Site. The park is administered by the Department of Conservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doubtful Sound / Patea</span> Fiord in New Zealand

Doubtful Sound / Patea is a fiord in Fiordland, in the far south west of New Zealand. It is located in the same region as the smaller but more famous and accessible Milford Sound / Piopiotahi. It took second place after Milford Sound as New Zealand's most famous tourism destination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Te Anau</span> Lake in the South Island of New Zealand

Lake Te Anau is in the southwestern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The lake covers an area of 344 km2 (133 sq mi), making it the second-largest lake by surface area in New Zealand and the largest in the South Island. It is the second largest lake in Australasia by fresh water volume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Te Anau</span> Town in Southland, New Zealand

Te Anau is a town in the Southland region of the South Island of New Zealand. In Māori, Te-Anau means the Place of the Swirling Waters. It is on the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau in Fiordland. Te Anau is 155 kilometres north of Invercargill and 171 kilometres to the southwest of Queenstown. Manapouri lies 21 kilometres to the south. Te Anau lies at the southern end of the Milford Road, 117 kilometres to the south of Milford Sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eglinton River</span> River in New Zealand

The Eglinton River is located in the region of Southland in the southwest of New Zealand. It flows through Fiordland National Park for 50 kilometres (31 mi). Its headwaters are at Lake Gunn, 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of Milford Sound, and it flows generally south before entering Lake Te Anau along the lake's eastern shore opposite the entrance to North Fiord.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Hauroko</span> Lake in the South Island of New Zealand

Lake Hauroko is the deepest lake in New Zealand. The lake, which is 462 metres deep, is located in a mountain valley in Fiordland National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Te Ana-au Caves</span> 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 and hence there is only one tiny stalactite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waiau River (Southland)</span> River in New Zealand

The Waiau River is the largest river in the Southland region of New Zealand. 'Waiau' translates to 'River of Swirling Currents'. It is the outflow of Lake Te Anau, flowing from it into Lake Manapouri 10 kilometres (6 mi) to the south, and from there flows south for 70 kilometres (43 mi) before reaching the Foveaux Strait 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of Tuatapere. It also takes water from Lake Monowai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kepler Track</span> New Zealand tramping track

The Kepler Track is a 60 km (37 mi) circular hiking track which travels through the landscape of the South Island of New Zealand and is situated near the town of Te Anau. The track passes through many landscapes of the Fiordland National Park such as rocky mountain ridges, tall mossy forests, lake shores, deep gorges, rare wetlands and rivers. Like the mountains it traverses, the track is named after Johannes Kepler. The track is one of the New Zealand Great Walks and is administered by the Department of Conservation (DOC).

The Franklin Mountains of New Zealand are a group of peaks in the southwestern area of the South Island, located between Bligh Sound and Lake Te Anau, within Fiordland National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clinton River (New Zealand)</span> River in Southland Region, New Zealand

The Clinton River is a river in the Southland Region of the South Island of New Zealand. There is also a Clinton River in Canterbury, which is a tributary of the Puhi Puhi River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kepler Mire</span>

The Kepler Mire, or Dismal Swamp east of Lake Manapouri, is the largest wetland in the Te Anau basin complex in New Zealand, covering more than 900 ha. Like the neighbouring mountain range, it is named in honour of astronomer Johannes Kepler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunter Mountains</span> Mountains in New Zealand

The Hunter Mountains of Lake Manapouri, New Zealand, were named by surveyor James McKerrow after the famous anatomist John Hunter. The Hunter Mountain Range covers an area between The South Arm and Hope Arm of Lake Manapouri South to the Green Lake.

The Doon River is a river in Fiordland, in the Southland Region of New Zealand. It arises near Mount Donald and flows south-east into the south-west arm of Lake Te Anau.

The Wapiti River is a river in the Southland Region of New Zealand. It rises in the northern extremity of the Stuart Mountains in Fiordland National Park, the top of its watershed being part of the main divide. Two branches feed Lake Sutherland, the outflow of which flows southwest to Lake Thomson. A further 2.2 kilometres (1.4 mi) reach of the river heads east to Lake Hankinson, which is separated from the North West Arm of the Middle Fiord of Lake Te Anau by a final 0.6-kilometre (0.4 mi) stretch of the river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southland Region</span> Region of New Zealand

Southland is New Zealand's southernmost region. It consists mainly of the southwestern portion of the South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura. It includes Southland District, Gore District and the city of Invercargill. Murihiku Southland is bordered by the culturally similar Otago to the north and east, and the West Coast in the extreme northwest. The region covers over 3.1 million hectares and spans 3,613 km of coast. As of June 2023, Southland has a population of 103,900, making it the eleventh-most-populous New Zealand region, and the second-most sparsely populated.

Leiopelma auroraensis, known as the Aurora frog, is an extinct species of frog that was found in New Zealand. One subfossil of the Aurora frog has been discovered in the Aurora Cave, Fiordland, New Zealand. It measured about 60 mm from the snout to the vent. It is named after the Aurora Cave for where it was found. The other extinct New Zealand frogs are Markham's frog and Waitomo frog. Aurora frog probably was a local form that had evolved from the more widely distributed Markham's frog.

References

  1. Paul W. Williams, "A 230 ka record of glacial and interglacial events from Aurora Cave, Fiordland, New Zealand", New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, 1996, Vol. 39: 225-241. online Archived February 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Deepest caves in New Zealand Archived January 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Caving areas in New Zealand Archived 2007-10-16 at the Wayback Machine

45°17′43.07″S167°41′52.39″E / 45.2952972°S 167.6978861°E / -45.2952972; 167.6978861