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Tag Archives: New Zealand animals

Egmont National Park

Visit this park to see Mount Taranaki, a dormant volacano which towers over the city of New Plymouth.  It’s very easy to get to, and has excellent hiking trails on which you can climb, ski, hike or walk.  The trails come in all sizes and types: from 30 minute treks starting at higher-up elevations to several hours to the summit from lower down.  There’s even the “Around the Mountain Circuit” which takes up to five days, if you’re a hiker who’s not into summits.

Mount Taranaki/Egmont is 8,261 feet tall and always covererd in ice and snow on its upper parts.  It’s simply beautiful, and the Maoris consider it to be sacred.  It’s been dormant since the late 1700′s, so don’t worry about frequent volcanic action.  There’s a Visitors Center which can show you all about the park and the mountain and you can stop in the cafe to gear up your energy for the 93 miles of trails.

If you’re super interested in flora and fauna and things like model displays of volcanoes, you can geek out at the Dawson Falls Display Center, located south of the main visitor’s center.

Miranda Shorebird Centre

On the North Island there’s a coastal area of intertidal flats that attracts thousands of migratory birds each year.  Open every day except Christmas, they ask for only a donation, in exchange for the chance to view these migratory wading birds on the coast of the Firth of Thames.

Paparoa National Park

PAPAROA NATIONAL PARK

One of the most beautiful spots in all of New Zealand is Paparoa National Park, on the coast facing the Tasman Sea. Near the town of Punakaiki, centuries of salt water pounding has formed limestone structures that resemble stacked gray pancakes, tens of feet high, like giant pedestals overlooking the sea. Found down between the stacks of pancakes there are blowholes from which pressurized sea water that’s been trapped will suddenly release into a huge plume of sea spray. There are other parts of Paparoa National Park, but the pancakes and blowholes are the most unique.

You also might want to check out the “ballroom overhang”, another limestone structure, but which requires a two-hour treck through subtropical forest. For some, that’s all the more reason to go! Paparoa National Park is located on State Highway 6, in Punakaiki, and the pancakes and blowholes are easily accessible from the highway. Wheelchair friendly, too.

Birding in New Zealand

New Zealand is a favorite destination for bird-watching tourists from around the world.  The island climate and isolated geographical location have made for unique evolutionary results.  The birds have existed for a very long time, with no major predators, so many have lost the ability to fly.

One examle is the kakapo, a New Zealand parrot that is unable to fly.  The birds have also grown into some of the largest birds ever, thanks to lack of significant predators such as rats or cats.  The moa can grow to be more than seven feet tall, but unfortunately were hunted into extinction a few hundred years ago.  These days, native birds including the black robin and the takahe and kea are protected to ensure their survival for the years to come.