Fiordland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fiordland is a geographic region of New Zealand that is situated on the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the western-most third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lakes and its ocean-flooded, steep western valleys. Indeed, the name "Fiordland" comes from a variant spelling of the Scandinavian word for this type of steep valley, "fjord".

Fiordland features a number of fiords (often misnamed sounds), of which Milford Sound is the most famous, though Doubtful Sound is even larger and has more, and longer, branches (but is also less accessible). Situated within Fiordland are Browne Falls and Sutherland Falls, which rank among the tallest waterfalls in the world and New Zealand's three deepest lakes, Lake Hauroko, Lake Manapouri, and Lake Te Anau. This part of New Zealand has a very wet climate, receiving 6,300mm of rainfall per year.^[]

Contents 1 History 2 Constituent fiords 3 Ecology 4 Demographics / Economy 5 References 6 External links

History

Fiordland has never had any significant permanent population. Even the Maori only visited temporarily for hunting, fishing and to collect the precious stone (New Zealand jade) from Anita Bay and the mouth of Milford Sound.^[1]

Administration of the area was as "The County of Fiord" for part of the 20th century until it was absorbed into Wallace County. Since 1989 it forms part of Southland District, in turn part of the Southland Region.

Constituent fiords

From north to south:

• Milford Sound
• Sutherland Sound
• Bligh Sound
• George Sound
• Caswell Sound
• Charles Sound
• Nancy Sound
• Thompson Sound
• Doubtful Sound
• Dagg Sound
• Breaksea Sound
• Dusky Sound
• Chalky Inlet
• Preservation Inlet

Ecology

The area has been categorised as the Fiordland temperate forests ecoregion, having a variety of habitats and due to its isolation a high number of endemic plants. Much of Fiordland is heavily forested except for locations where surface rock exposures are extensive. The natural habitats are almost completely unspoilt. Nothofagus beech trees are dominant in many locations, silver beech ((Nothofagus menziesii) in the fiords and red beech (Nothofagus fusca) in the inland valleys. In the understory there are a wide variety of shrubs and ferns, including Crown Fern, Blechnum discolor, areas of scrubby herbs above the treeline, patches of bog next to mountain streams and finally an area of Rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum)-dominated sandunes in the area on the south coast. ^[2] The area is home to threatened native bird species such as the flightless takahe and kiwi, Blue Duck (whio), and Yellowhead (or mohua). There are also a great number of insects and one indigenous reptile, the (Oligosoma acrinasum). ^[3]

Most of the area is covered by the Fiordland National Park, part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Site. Fiordland National Park has an area of 12,120 square kilometres, making it the largest national park in New Zealand and one of the larger parks in the world, containing many tourist attractions, such as Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound and the Milford Track. The main threat to natural habitats is from introduced species, especially red deer, but these are now being hunted out of the area and furthermore the park includes a number of small offshore islands which are free from introduced species and are designated Specially Protected Areas.

Demographics / Economy

Fiordland has never had more than a few human inhabitants and is the least-populated area of New Zealand's South Island (48 in 2001, virtually uninhabited),^[4][5] with no cities and many areas almost inaccessible except by boat or air. The only settlements close by / in Fiordland (depending on definition) are Manapouri and Te Anau township, which has under 2,000 permanent habitants (though it boasts around 3,000 tourist beds).^[] The nearest city is Invercargill.

may be the westernmost permanently inhabited locality of New Zealand, a fishermen's refueling and supply depot on a small island at the head of Doubtful Sound.^[6][7][]

Except for electricity generation (at the Manapouri Power Station) and some agriculture, tourism is the only other major economic factor of the region. Visitor spending in Fiordland was NZ$ 92 million in 2003, and 1,017 people were employed fulltime in the Fiordland tourism industry, with an additional 1,900 people considered to be employed in tourism industry support services.^[8] Most tourists head to the Milford Sound, though tramping in the more accessible eastern parts of the alps is also popular. Nonetheless, the remoteness of the region limits even tourism, and after relatively short visits to the major sites, most tourists tend to return to other areas, such as Queenstown or Invercargill.

References

External links

• Destination Fiordland (regional tourism organisation)

Coordinates: 45°24′S 167°12′E / 45.4°S 167.2°E / -45.4; 167.2