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What
New Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax)Observer
ksmith10Description
Lake Matheson, on the West Coast of New Zealand, is best known today as a beautiful lake surrounded by resplendent wildlife and offering incredible views of the distant glaciated mountains of the Southern Alps. However, as recently as 12,000 BC, as the last Ice Age came to an end, Lake Matheson was formed from the very glaciers it now reflects in its waters from over ten kilometers away.
Although Lake Matheson is surrounded by terminal moraines from the glaciers of the Southern Alps, the formation of the lake itself has very little to do with these moraines. In fact, Lake Matheson is considered a “kettle” lake, akin to the tens of thousands of small lakes dotting the northern parts of the Great Plains of the United States in Canada (i.e. the Dakotas, Iowa, and Minnesota, USA; Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada). These types of lakes are small in surface area and shallow in depth. In Lake Matheson’s case, it is only about a third of a square kilometer in size, and about 13 meters at its deep part; and, compared to most kettle lakes, those are somewhat large figures.
A kettle lake is formed from a large piece of a glacier being calved, or released, from a receding glacier. This heavy piece of ice is dropped into the loose terrain of the rest of the glacial outwash, eventually sinking several meters deep into the outwash. Over time, this piece of ice melts, and water is collected in the depression it caused, forming a kettle lake. An outflow, the small Clearwater River, eventually flows around the terminal moraine into the ocean, and allowed the lake to be populated by eels.
Photos / Sounds
What
Eurasian Stoat (Mustela erminea)Observer
ksmith10Description
The stoat (Mustela Erminea) is a non-native mammal in New Zealand. A part of the weasel family, the stoat was introduced in New Zealand in the late nineteenth century as a solution to control the exponentially-growing rabbit and rodent populations across the country; however, the stoat has since become a predator that has decimated the native bird population of New Zealand. It is an aggressive predator that looks far more dangerous than its small size suggests, eating up to a quarter of its body weight (about 1.5 – 2 ounces of food) in a single day by hunting on the ground, in trees, and in burrows.
Stoats are very similar to most weasels – they are relatively small and slender animals, with long, bushy tails. They have short, soft, brown fur on most of their bodies, except for white fur on their abdomens. New Zealand is the only place on earth where they were introduced, as well as the only place in the Southern Hemisphere where they can be found in the wild today. However, they are very common in the Northern Hemisphere, and are endemic to and commonly seen throughout Eurasia, the United States (except Hawaii), Canada, and Greenland.
In New Zealand today, measures are being taken to reduce the stoat population in an effort to allow the bird population to rebound. While stoat traps can be found across New Zealand, most of them being a wooden, rectangular “box trap” variety, traps are generally used as “a feel-good” measure, and by most standards are not productive for eradicating the stoat population. Other traps are being introduced as well, such as a nail-gun trap that is less time-consuming to check. 1080 poison is also used across large swaths of areas, an issue of controversy in New Zealand politics.
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What
New Zealand Broadleaf (Griselinia littoralis)Observer
ksmith10Description
New Zealand broadleaf (Griselinia littoralis), also known as Kapuka or Broadway mint or simply broadleaf, is a moderately-sized evergreen, flowering tree. The littoralis species is endemic to New Zealand, but other broadleaf trees can be seen across New Zealand as well as more temperate parts of South America. Broadleaf can be seen naturally across virtually all of New Zealand, and have been introduced Europe to be typically used in decorative hedges in southern England. In the wild, it can be seen in many different environments, such as this observation in the foothills of Aoraki Mount Cook National Park in Canterbury; however, it is more abundant in New Zealand’s coastal areas. In fact, the Latin word littoralis in its name means “grows by the sea” when translated to English.
Broadleaf is relatively easy to identify, especially in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park. Its thickly-textured, alternate leaves are a bright green, with a somewhat crinkly appearance to them. The leaves have no serrations in them, and tend to grow close together (which makes sense as to how it can grow in relatively windy Aoraki Mount Cook, as well as have a use as a hedge). In the Aoraki Mount Cook area specifically, the broadleaf is only about 3 meters tall; however, it can grow up to 20 meters tall in climates more favorable to its growth – principally the podocarp rainforests on the West Coast. It also can flower small flowers with white petals on the stems of its leaves, and produces a small berry roughly the size of a small bb pellet.
Additionally, the broadleaf has a traditional use in the Maori culture. The inner bark of broadleaf has been used to help with the treatment of some venereal diseases as well as tuberculosis. Also, the berry-like fruit has been used as food by Maori during famines. However, generally speaking, the berry is not typically eaten because it has a bitter, unpleasant taste.
Photos / Sounds
What
Vascular Plants (Phylum Tracheophyta)Observer
ksmith10Description
Not only does the Banks Peninsula provide stunning, sweeping views of coastal landscape for the average tourist, but it also is a remarkable example of how erosion can completely change a landscape over millions of years. The Banks Peninsula, the most notable volcanic feature of the South Island, was formed originally from two shield volcanoes, characterized of short and relatively gentle profiles – for reference purposes, the volcanoes of Hawaii and Iceland are perhaps the most famous examples of shield volcanoes today.
However, unlike the shield volcanoes in Hawaii and Iceland that are still active today, the two volcanoes that comprise the Banks Peninsula were plugged several millions of years ago, and led to a pressure buildup under the earth’s surface that would cumulate in two massive eruptions that formed a giant crater lake where the original two volcanoes once were. This lake was at one point similar to Crater Lake in Oregon in the United States; however, any visitor to Banks Peninsula will notice that the large body of water within the Banks Peninsula today is not a lake, but a saltwater harbor. The reason this is can be explained by stream erosion.
Perhaps as recently as 12,000 BC, when the last ice age was coming to an end, the ocean-facing edges of the Banks Peninsula were eroded to a point where the crater lake and the Pacific Ocean became one body of water. This was because the ending of the ice age causes the ocean levels to rise to a point where the ocean was powerful enough to erode the remnants of the extinct volcanoes of the Banks Peninsula. The mountains which were probably 2500-3000 meters in height once have been reduced to only 919 meters today. As we saw during our trek out to the Banks Peninsula, there are two massive harbors that have been formed due to this type of erosion, and have formed very recently compared to most geologic landmarks.
