New Zealand Flora and Fauna

Isolated by the sea from browsing and predatory animals for 60-80 million years, New Zealand's plant and animal life is unique. Primeval forest trees and plants that have died out in larger lands continue to flourish here. Flightless and ground-dwelling birds have evolved to fill niches that would have been taken by mammals elsewhere in the world. Indeed, New Zealand possesses only two truly indigenous mammals, both being rare species of bat.

Among the most notable of New Zealand's unique indigenous species are the kiwi, the world's oldest reptile (tuatara), the world's largest parrot (kakapo), the world's only mountain parrot (kea), the heaviest insect (weta) and New Zealand's native giant tree, the kauri.

The arrival of the Maori and Europeans dramatically altered the landscape. The Maori's chief impact arose through burning native vegetation to facilitate hunting the moa (a now extinct giant flightless bird). The Europeans made their mark on the landscape by further conversion of forests and native flora to pasture land, and by the introduction of many foreign plants and animals. The most destructive of these introduced species have been the rat, the possum and the rabbit.

However, some introduced species have proved highly attractive to overseas visitors. The most notable of these include New Zealand's world-famed trout and salmon fisheries, and numerous alpine game (deer, tahr, chamois). New Zealand is also justifiably well known for its big game fishing and diving for delicacies such as crayfish (lobster) and paua (abalone).