These endemic New Zealand birds are truly special and deserve some attention during whio awareness month. Here are 5 places to see whio in their natural setting. New Zealand has so many special birds – from the iconic kiwi to kea and tiny rifleman. I…
The Whio or Blue Duck is one of New Zealand’s fascinating endemic birds. Here are 6 facts about this bird that can only be found in rivers or streams. New Zealand’s most iconic bird may be the kiwi, but the country is full of many…
While there are many, here are 3 causes of threatened species in New Zealand – habitat loss, predation, and being outcompeted. Aotearoa now has about 4,000 native species listed as threatened or endangered! As I’ve talked about over and over in this blog, the country…
The Moria Gate Arch is a lovely short walk near Karamea. This 1 and a half hour walk explores native bush, caves, and a huge arch over a river. Karamea is the end of the road for many people that visit the West coast of…
The Heaphy Track is possibly the New Zealand Great Walk with the most variety along the way from mountains to beaches. Here is the ultimate guide to this wonderful great walk. Wow! I have just come back from walking the Heaphy Track and I was…
The tablelands walk crosses some spectacular tops in Kahurangi National Park. This walk has beech forest, tussock tops, tall peaks, rivers, and views to dream of. Prior to visiting the area and exploring the Tablelands I had never even heard of this spectacular piece of…
The Ram and Ngatoro tracks create a wonderful forest walk on the flanks of Mt. Taranaki. This walk is perfect on day when you can’t go high on the mountain. The highlight of Egmont National Park, at least for most people, is the summit. During…
New Zealand’s money is not only colourful, but it’s full of images of the iconic plants, animals, and fungi of the country. Here are the main endemic species on New Zealand’s money. I love living in New Zealand for a lot of reasons – beautiful…
Native, endemic, and introduced are terms that describe a plant or animal. Here is a quick overview on what those terms mean and examples of each in New Zealand. There are thousands of species of plants and animals found throughout the world. Some of them…