Ecosystems

Tall evergreen rainforest clothed more than 70% of the Waikato Region prior to human settlement. Forest composition varied mainly with altitude, topography and latitude. Coastal forests were dominated by pohutukawa and had other frost intolerant trees such as karaka, puriri and kohekohe. Lowlands were mainly covered in conifer-broadleaved forest with rimu and tawa most prominent. …

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Swamps and bogs are permanently or temporarily wet areas supporting plants and animals specially adapted to wet conditions. The types of plants and animals found in swamps and bogs depend on the water – its amount, depth, permanence, temperature, the chemicals found in it and its source – groundwater, surface water or rainwater. Swamps and …

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Streams, rivers and lakes are an integral part of the Waikato landscape and help form part of the Region’s identity with several iconic waterbodies. Four types of naturally-formed lakes are recognised in the Waikato Region – peat lakes, riverine lakes, volcanic lakes and sand dune lakes. The region’s 14 riverine lakes are part of an …

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Most of the Region’s western coasts consist of high-energy black sand beaches and dunes. The East Coast of the Region is more sheltered and beaches and dunes are mostly made of white sand. Our beaches are inhabited by a variety of species including shellfish such as tuatua and biscuit shells and a variety of crustaceans …

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The coastline of the Waikato Region covers approximately 1150km and includes the exposed west coast, the Firth of Thames and the Coromandel Peninsula. Estuaries are among our most sensitive coastal places. Home to a wide range of birds, fish and shellfish they are of enormous environmental and economic importance. There are 35 estuaries in the …

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Islands are essentially hilltops that are above current sea level. They have not always been as they are, as sea levels have varied drastically through the past 100,000 years. This has meant that many near-shore islands (those on the continental shelf) have, at various times, been connected with the mainland or submerged beneath the sea. …

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Geothermal features include steaming ground, boiling mud pools, fumaroles, and hot springs. Not all geothermal features are hot; some contain cooled geothermal water with a high mineral content. Geothermal features support rare ecosystems with high soil, water, or air temperatures, unusual and often extreme chemical environments (e.g., high acidity or alkalinity, high concentrations of toxic …

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The hill country of the Western Waikato is home to many karst ecosystems and landscapes. These karst landscapes are formed when water dissolves carbonate-containing rocks such as limestone. They are scattered from Port Waikato to Mokau and include the glowworm caves at Waitomo and a variety of sculpted pools, caves, arches, gorges, disappearing streams, springs …

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High mountain lands in the Waikato Region are found in the Tongaririo National Park and the Kaimanawa Ranges. The area is dominated by beech forest and occasionally mountain cedar will be seen above the beech canopy. The lower slopes of the mountains are covered in alpine shrub, tussock, herbs, flax, and plants such as mosses, …

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