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New Zealand Tourist Guides — Environment  Situated in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia, New Zealand consists of two large islands, and many small ones. As one traverses the 1600 km from Bay Islands at the northern most tip of North Island to Stewart Island on the southern extreme of South Island, he is astonished at the variations in landscape that each location displays. North Island has a more gentle landscape, while South Island is characterized by stunning volcanic mountain peaks, lush rainforests, gushing streams and waterfalls and a coastline that is lashed by extremely rough weather. Deforestation has been a result of human occupation over the years - forests that were once 80 percent of the landscape have been reduced to 23%. The New Zealand government now protects most of the wooded area - there are 13 national parks, 20 forest parks and over 3500 reserves. Marine life is also protected at 4 marine parks. Most of the New Zealand's native flora is particular to the region. Native trees are the gum-producing kauri, the kahikatea, rimu, totara and various varieties of beech. The kauri tree has the distinction of being one of the oldest and largest living organisms in the world. The Northern coastline abounds in large native flax, toetoe, pampas grass and mangroves. 'New Zealand's Christmas Tree', the pohutukawa, so known because of its brilliant red blooms around December, also abound in the coastal areas New Zealand is marked by a curious absence of native mammals - which is why the Maori settlers took to fishing when they first came over a thousand years ago. The only indigenous mammals are some species of bats. However, there is a thriving bird life - of which the kiwi, the national bird, is well known. Other species include a native owl called the morepork, the Paradise duck, fantail, pigeons, waxeye, the tui, the kingfisher and various other seabirds. A small range of reptiles exists on the island, most noted of which is the tuatara, a near relative of the dinosaur. There are no snakes in New Zealand, but there are giant snails, native frogs and various endemic insect species. Marine life is rich - including varieties of trout, salmon, hapuka, snapper, tuna, kingfish, and a host of deep-sea species.
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Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, Wellington. | |
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