Te Anau is a little township of nearly 2000 inhabitants named after and located at Lake Te Anau marking the border between Fiordland and the rest of the South Island. Two of the Great Walks start from here: The Milford and Kepler Tracks.
Lake Te Anau is the largest lake in the South Island taking depths of up to 400 m. Early Maori used to travel through these regions in search of greenstone, called "Pounamou", and/or food leaving great tracks behind some of which later became New Zealand's Great Walks. The first European settlement was described in 1893. Early settlers tried to find their fortune in gold digging, sheep breeding or farming. Today's driving economical factor is tourism.
"Te Ana-au" was the lake's original name meaning "Cave of swirling water". Guided by its translation, Lawson Burrows discovered the Glowworm Caves in 1948.
In comparison to the rest of New Zealand, the Glowworm Caves are certainly younger (12,000-15,000 years). Within the Grotto, a river is still actively shaping the limestone caves. It created a complex underground system of pools, rock, caves and waterfalls - the perfect habitat for glowworms (Arachnocampa luminosa).