Inside the opening of the upper entrance to the Aurora caves, above Lake Te Anau.br/br/Located on the isolated western shores of Lake Te Anau, these caves were lost in legend for many years. Their ancient Maori name ‘Te Ana-au’ means ‘caves with a current of swirling water’ and it was this that led to their rediscovery in 1948. After three years searching, explorer Lawson Burrows discovered a stream emerging from under a rock structure. He squeezed underwater through the entrance and surfaced into a cavern shimmering with thousands of glowworms. Today the lower caves are visited by thousands of tourists every year into but a small section of a much larger cave system which extends deep under Fiordland National Park.