Fiordland Underwater, New Zealand's Hidden Wilderness

Fiordland, New Zealand's largest national park and first UNESCO World Heritage Area, is renowned for its extraordinary beauty. The region has long been known to Maori, who made epic journeys overland in search of pounamu and tangiwai (New Zealand jade and bowenite), which they used to shape weapons and ornaments such as hei tiki. The scenic attractions are well-chronicled, yet there is another Fiordland: the hidden wilderness below the waterline in the drowned glacial valleys that are the fiords. With native bush reaching to the water's edge and some of the heaviest rainfall runoff on the planet, the underwater environment of the fiords contains an astonishing range of species from warm, cold and deep water habitats, forming unique marine communities. Colonies of black coral live here in water as shallow as three metres, with maximum abundance from 15 to 20 metres. Black corals are usually found only around offshore islands, in very clear water at depths greater than 40 metres. The physical and biological processes, including unusual patterns of topography, oceanography, terrestrial vegetation, climate and the presence of marine organisms usually found only in deep water, makes this a fascinating study. Fiordland Underwater is the first comprehensive work on the subject. Written for both the ecology student and the interested visitor, it includes over 200 color photographs of the marine organisms (some of which are believed to have been photographed for the first time) and the silent world they inhabit. The authors note the increasing environmental pressures here, advocating for the underwater areas of the fiords to be included within the national park. Their hope is for this book to inspire greater appreciation of the hidden wilderness, so that it remains undisturbed forever.