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New Zealand was isolated from the rest of the World for tens of millions
or years before the arrival of man around a thousand years ago. As there were no mammals except for bats the bird life flourished in New
Zealand with 23 Native species including the Tui, Bellbird. Flightless birds
evolved such as the Weka,the Kea and off course the Kiwi (New Zealand's national
emblem). The legendary Moa a flightless bird which grew to 3 meters tall roamed
the South Island until it was hunted to extinction by the Maori.
The vegetation is sub-tropical and highly evolved, eighty-five percent of the
vegetation occurring nowhere else. Much of the native trees such as the
slow growing Kauri, Rimu and Totora have been harvested but are now protected.
About a quarter of the indigenous forest remain and are considered a great
national treasure.
New Zealand has many species of small reptiles, the most notable being the
tuatara, which dates back to the age of the dinosaur. New Zealand thankfully
does not have any snakes at all. There are however, thousands of species of
insects native to New Zealand including the giant weta which is the largest
insect in the world, luckily harmless.
As an island, sea life is of great importance. The original European visitors
came to hunt whales and fur seals, driving them to the brink of extinction. Now
these animals are protected and people come from around the world to encounter
these wonderful sea mammals. New Zealand has some superb fishing and diving
opportunities and with 15000 kilometers of coastline there is plenty of
diversity.
Since the introduction of man nature has changed dramatically. The
introduction of mammals has endangered many of the native birds. The
introduction of mammals such as opossums has led to wide scale degradation of
our forests. However in the last few decades there has been a national effort to
preserve New Zealand's unique natural heritage. Off shore islands have become a
sanctuary for native birds and some islands are free of introduced pests.
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