Te Awaatu Channel (The Gut) Marine Reserve is a

marine reserve A marine reserve is a type of marine protected area (MPA). An MPA is a section of the ocean where a government has placed limits on human activity. A marine reserve is a marine protected area in which removing or destroying natural or cultural ...

covering an area of in

Fiordland Fiordland (, "The Pit of Tattooing", and also translated as "the Shadowlands"), is a non-administrative geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the western third of Southland. Most of F ...

on New Zealand's

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

. It was established in 1993 and is administered by the

Department of Conservation Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

. It is the smallest marine reserve in Fiordland and one of the oldest.

Geography and ecology

The marine reserve covers a shallow channel between Bauza Island and

Secretary Island Secretary Island () is an island in southwestern New Zealand, lying entirely within Fiordland National Park. Roughly triangular in shape, it lies between Doubtful Sound / Patea in the south and Te Awa-o-Tū / Thompson Sound in the north, with ...

with a high tidal flow. Surrounding the reserve is Fiordland's deepest basin, reaching depths of about . The reserve has significant rock wall and deep reef habitats, which provide a habitat for suspension feeders like

sea pen Sea pens are marine cnidarians belonging to the superfamily Pennatuloidea, which are colony-forming benthic filter feeders within the order Scleralcyonacea. There are 14 families within the order and 35 extant genera, and it is estimated a ...

red coral Precious coral, or red coral, is the common name given to a genus of marine corals, ''Corallium''. The distinguishing characteristic of precious corals is their durable and intensely colored red or pink-orange skeleton, which is used for maki ...

black coral Antipatharians, also known as black corals or thorn corals, are an order of soft deep-water corals. These corals can be recognized by their jet-black or dark brown chitin skeletons, which are surrounded by their colored polyps (part of coral th ...

zoanthid Zoanthids ( order Zoantharia, also called Zoanthidea or Zoanthiniaria) are an order of cnidarians commonly found in coral reefs, the deep sea and many other marine environments around the world. These animals come in a variety of different coloni ...

s and lampshells.

History

''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 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 Ze ...

and the other foot on Mauikatau (Resolution Island) at the entrance to

Tamatea / Dusky Sound Tamatea / Dusky Sound is a fiord on the southwest corner of New Zealand, in Fiordland National Park. Geography One of the most complex of the many fiords on this coast, it is also the largest at 40 kilometres in length and eight kilometres wi ...

. The reserve was recommended by the New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishermen, alongside the

Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve is a Marine reserves of New Zealand, marine reserve covering an area of in the Milford Sound / Piopiotahi, in Fiordland on New Zealand's South Island. It was established in 1993 and is administered by th ...

in the early 1990s. It was established in 1993, receiving legal recognition on 25 October of that year. 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.

Research and commerce

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.

Recreation

The reserve is accessible from

Te Anau Te Anau is a town in the Southland, New Zealand, Southland List of regions in New Zealand, region of the South Island of New Zealand. In Māori language, Māori, Te-Anau means the Place of the Swirling Waters. It is on the eastern shore of Lake ...

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. Cruises of Doubtful Sound pass through the channel. 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. There is a ban on fishing, and taking, killing or moving marine life and materials. However, members of

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori people, Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim, New Zealand, Blenhe ...

may remove

pounamu Pounamu is a term for several types of hard and durable stone found in the South Island of New Zealand. They are highly valued in New Zealand, and carvings made from pounamu play an important role in Māori culture. Name The Māori word ...

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.

References

{{Southland District Marine reserves of New Zealand Protected areas of the Southland Region Southland District 1993 establishments in New Zealand Protected areas established in 1993

Geography and ecology

History

Research and commerce

Recreation

See also

References