Te Awaatu Channel (The Gut) Marine Reserve | |
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Location | Fiordland, New Zealand |
Coordinates | 45°16′07″S166°53′14″E / 45.268665°S 166.8872418°E Coordinates: 45°16′07″S166°53′14″E / 45.268665°S 166.8872418°E |
Area | 93 hectares (230 acres) |
Established | 1993 |
Governing body | Department of Conservation |
Te Awaatu Channel (The Gut) Marine Reserve is a marine reserve covering an area of 93 hectares (230 acres) in Fiordland on New Zealand's South Island. It was established in 1993 and is administered by the Department of Conservation. [1] [2]
It is the smallest marine reserve in Fiordland and one of the oldest. [1]
The marine reserve covers a shallow channel between Bauza Island and Secretary Island with a high tidal flow. Surrounding the reserve is Fiordland's deepest basin, reaching depths of about 420 metres (1,380 ft). [1]
The reserve has significant rock wall and deep reef habitats, which provide a habitat for suspension feeders like sea pen, red coral, black coral, zooanthids and lampshells. [1]
Te Awaatu or Te Awa-O-Tu translates as "the channel of Tu". According to Māori oral history, ancestor Tu-Te-Raki-whanoa carved out the fiords and lakes with his giant ko (digging stick), with one foot on Ka-Tu-Waewae-O-Tu (Secretary Island) at the entrance to Doubtful Sound and the other foot on Mauikatau (Resolution Island) at the entrance to Tamatea / Dusky Sound. [1]
The reserve was recommended by the New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishermen, alongside the Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve in the early 1990s. [3] It was established in 1993, [2] receiving legal recognition on 25 October of that year. [4]
Rock lobsters within the reserve are larger and more numerous than outside it, and five year study of red coral has found no major changes to the population. [1]
Educational and scientific activities are encouraged, but must not disturb or endanger plants, animals or natural features. Scientific research requires a permit from the Department of Conservation. [5]
The reserve is accessible from Te Anau via the Milford Road. Anchoring boats is banned in many areas to protect the particularly fragile species that can be damaged by anchors or swinging chains. Taking off and landing aircraft is permitted. [5] Cruises of Doubtful Sound pass through the channel. [6]
The protected marine life can be viewed by diving or snorkelling, either independently or with a tourism or charter boat service. To protect the fragile environments, divers must follow the safety and care codes. [5]
There is a ban on fishing, and taking, killing or moving marine life and materials. However, members of Ngāi Tahu may remove pounamu provided they have the right authorisation, only collect by hand, keep disturbance to the site to a minimum, and only carry as much as they can in one trip. They may also collect deceased marine mammals and collect teeth and bones. [5]
Fiordland is a geographic 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.
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.
Doubtful Sound / Patea is a fjord 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. It took second place after Milford Sound as New Zealand's most famous tourism destination.
Protected areas of New Zealand receive protection to preserve their environmental, historical or cultural value. The method and aims of protection vary according to the importance of the resource and whether it has public or private status.
Secretary Island is an island in southwestern New Zealand, lying entirely within Fiordland National Park. Roughly triangular in shape, it lies between Doubtful Sound in the south and Te Awa-o-Tū / Thompson Sound in the north, with its west coast facing the Tasman Sea. To the east of the island, Pendulo Reach connects Te Awa-o-Tū / Thompson Sound with Doubtful Sound. Steeply sloped, the entirely bush-clad island rises to a chain of several peaks higher than 1000 metres. The highest of these is the 1,196-metre (3,924 ft) Mount Grono, the highest peak in the main New Zealand chain not located in the North or South Island. The island also contains three lakes. The largest, Secretary Lake, over 600 metres (2,000 ft) long, is located beneath Mount Grono at an altitude of 550 metres (1,800 ft).
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Bauza Island lies immediately south of the much larger Secretary Island in the outer Doubtful Sound, in Fiordland National Park, in New Zealand's South Island. The less than one kilometre wide Patea passage to the south of the island is the main entrance to Doubtful Sound. To the north, the island is separated from Secretary Island by the narrow Te Awaatu Channel, also referred to as "The Gut", only 200 metres (660 ft) wide at its narrowest point. The waters between the two islands are protected by the Te Awaatu Channel Marine Reserve. Doubtful Sound tour boats routinely travel through this channel.
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