Flora and Fauna
There are diverse species in the forested catchment basin of the Waiau River. Vegetative understory within most of the Fiordland National Park includes numerous fern species including the Crown Fern, Blechnum discolor.
Several species of endangered birds live around the shores of Lake Te Anau, and the upper Waiau River, notably the Takahē (Notornis hochstetteri). An area between the Middle and South Fiords called the Murchison Mountains is a sanctuary set aside for these birds. The western shore of Lake Te Anau also holds the Te Ana-au Caves, from which Lake Te Anau derives its name.
Read more about this topic: Waiau River (Southland)
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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—Louis Aragon (1897–1982)