North Island Volcanic Plateau - Flora

Flora

The natural vegetation of the area includes the podocarp conifers including rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum), miro (Prumnopitys ferruginea), matai (Prumnopitys taxifolia), totara (Podocarpus totara) and kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) and hardwoods that once covered this whole area before the eruption of Taupo and other volcanoes. To the west of the three large volcanoes, the land is rough forested hill country, while the north close to Lake Taupo is more fertile and undulating and much has been cleared for farming. The forest used to extend to the west coast and there are still patches of natural vegetation in wetlands including the Horowhenua floodplains.

However to the east of Taupo the barren, ash-laden soils and harsh alpine climate leave the high land largely bare and unprofitable, capable of growing only scrubby plants. This area is known as the Rangipo Desert although it is not a true desert as the annual rainfall is over 1,000mm PA and the real reason for the low and sparse vegegation was the mass sterilization of seeds caused by the 20,000-year-old Taupo eruption, which swept white-hot ignimbrite through this valley. Prior to this cataclysmic event this area was forested and stumps of charcoalized trees can be seen where soil has eroded. Around Taupo itself there are geothermal areas with specialised plant life such as the prostrate kanuka (a subspecies of kunzea ericoides).

Further to the east of the plateau lies more rough hill country in the Kaimanawa Ranges, a popular hunting area for wild Red and Sika deer.The tops of the mountains are open and tussock covered.Helicopters and light aircraft can land on a rough air strip.Hunting range in the bush is often 50m or less but in the open tops the range can be much further. The area to the South,around Lake Moawhango is richer in plant life. Finally there are areas of beech forest and alpine vegetation at higher elevations throughout the region.