Environment

The Land

New Zealand is part of a fiery rim of volcanoes that encircle the Pacific Ocean. The last large eruption occurred in 1886 -- Mount Tarawera near Rotorua left an estimated 150 people dead. Our most recent show-off has been Mount Ruapehu, which has done its best to ruin the central North Island ski season in the past few years.

Today, New Zealand bears all the fascinating geographical hallmarks of a tumultuous geologic history. There are 500-million-year-old marble outcrops on the top of the Takaka Hills in Nelson, and volcanic ash and pumice have created a barren, desertlike landscape in the central North Island. Franz Josef is one of the fastest-moving glaciers in the world, and the Marlborough Sounds are a labyrinth of islands and waterways. Parched tussock country and strange rocky outcrops cover Central Otago, and the Canterbury Plains spread wide and flat as evidence of prehuman glacial erosion.

Despite all this earthly fury, the land has been blessed with an endless coastline of stunning beaches -- white or golden sand on the east coasts, black or gray on the west coasts. Craters have filled to create jewel-like lakes, and rivers and streams are the endless arteries and veins that feed lush flora.

Flora & Fauna

For 70 million years, New Zealand has been completely separate from all other landmasses. We've been left with some pretty strange creatures as a result: four flightless birds -- the kiwi, weka, kakapo, and takahe -- along with an ancient reptile directly descended from the dinosaurs. The kiwi, of course, has been embraced as a national symbol, so much so that many New Zealanders are quite happy to be called Kiwis themselves. And that odd spiky "lizard," the tuatara, is being encouraged to breed itself silly to ensure it'll be around for future generations to marvel at.

Our native birds are a rich lot. The bellbird, plain of feather and easily missed, is the songster supreme. The handsome inky tui, with his white-tufted neck, comes a close second. The flightless weka is rowdy rather than tuneful, and you'll see him in the bush or poking his nose into campsites. The green-and-orange kea is a cheeky mountain parrot with a reputation for mischief on the ski fields and in high-country camps. Attracted to anything shiny, he'll lift things if he can, but not before chewing the windshield wipers on your car. His big beak means business, so don't feed him. You'll be delighted by nesting albatross and gannets, elegant white herons, penguins, and many more.

New Zealand has no native mammals. It was the first Polynesian settlers who brought in both the dog and the rat. Captain Cook then arrived with pigs, goats, fowl, and probably more rats. As more foreign animals were introduced, it became necessary to introduce other animals to control those that had become pests. We now have more than 33 introduced species of mammals, 34 species of birds, 14 species of freshwater fish, at least 1,000 species of introduced insects, plus an Australian lizard and frog or two. Unfortunately, a good many of the above are pests.

We have no nasties -- no snakes, predatory animals, or deadly critters of any kind. The only one that comes close is the poisonous katipo spider, which you're unlikely to even see, unless you're on the western beaches of the North Island and spot a small black spider with a bright red stripe on its abdomen. There are sometimes sharks in the waters around New Zealand. Please ask the locals about this, even though shark attacks are rare.

When it comes to flora, we have diverse vegetation -- moss-covered rainforests and dense primeval forests of ancient podocarp trees. Palms and Norfolk pines, bougainvillea, flame trees, and hibiscus are in the far north, tortured-looking alpine plants, brilliant lichens, and gigantic tree ferns in the south. It's outstanding: 84% of New Zealand's flowering plants are found nowhere else in the world.