Adventures in the South Pacific: New Zealand's North Island

Compared to the South Island, New Zealand's North Island is highly developed and very little of the original forest remains. The climate on this island is somewhat milder than on the South Island, and it is here that the majority of New Zealand's cities and farms are located. Native wildlife is, understandably, less common on the North Island. While on the South Island we could see some native animals reliably every day, on the North Island those same animals were much rarer. Needless to say, the animals introduced by humans, such as house sparrows and mynahs, are far more common on the North Island.
A few native animals, however, have managed to adapt to the man-made conditions. The pukeko, or purple swamphen, is a long-legged wading bird related to rails and coots that is found in both Australia and New Zealand. It is quite fond of open, grassy areas, and has actually expanded its range in New Zealand as humans have cleared the forests. Nowadays, pukekos can be found in virtually any grassy field of substantial size in New Zealand.
The same is true of the swamp harrier, New Zealand's largest living bird of prey. In the past New Zealand was home to a second species called the Eyles's harrier, which inhabited forests. It died out along about 600 years ago, due to the destruction of the forests. When the forests disappeared, however, the plains-dwelling swamp harrier expanded its own range, and like the pukeko it is now found throughout New Zealand.
We put so much effort and thought into the idea of preserving ecosystems in their "natural state" that we sometimes lose sight of the fact that they have often not been in a "natural state" for a long time. New Zealand itself is a human artifact. Even the native animals and plants that do remain are very different ecologically than their ancestors only a few centuries ago. What this means is that that New Zealand--and all places like it-- are best understood as systems rather than separate collections of individuals. What's left of New Zealand is simply too unique to waste.



A tui--a common New Zealand songbird-- sips nectar from a New Zealand flax. Both the bird and the plant are still common, but for how much longer?