Peatlands of the World

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New Zealand

Peatlands in Australia and New Zealand cover an area of 23,800 km². In New Zealand a variety of peatlands are found including patterned string bogs, fens, and bogs.

In the temperate zone of the southern hemisphere, bogs are found in Patagonia, Tasmania, New Zealand and the Eastern Australia highlands. The most characteristic bog type in these regions is that of the cushion-plant bog which does not occur elsewhere in the world.

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Aerial view of the Hapuka estuary 12 km south of Haast, showing the recently completed boardwalk which traverses the wetland sequence from the tidal reaches of the lower Hapuka River, South Westland, New Zealand through the fringing manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) shrubland and into the tall mixed podocarp-broadleaved forest occupying the dune ridge beyond.
Copyright Alan Mark 1998.

Aerial view northwest over the Burmeister forest-wetland complex that extends out to Jackson Bay as a dune-swale system between the Arawata River (left) and the granite dome of Mt McLean (right), South Westland, New Zealand. The Haast-Jackson Bay road is the white line traversing the centre of the wetland, and provides easy access onto the wetlands.
Copyright Alan Mark 1998.

Aerial view of the extensive low-alpine string bog and island tarn wetland complex at the head of the Roaring Lion creek, Nevis Valley, southern Central Otago, New Zealand, at an elevation of c.1300m.
Copyright Alan Mark 1995.

Pool system on a hillside bench east of Mt Tennyson, southern Central Otago, New Zealand. Elongated islands probably indicate the positions of earlier pool margins, before coalescence to large pools.
Copyright Alan Mark 1995.

Typical of the intriguing ecological complexity and logistical challenges of Te Waahipounamu is the extensive lowland mire on the coastal plain between the Hapuka and Waiatoto in South Westland, New Zealand. The various patterns of woody vegetation on slightly raised sites, together with the obvious indications of wetland paludification, await elucidation by an enterprising researcher.
Copyright Alan Mark 1998.

Aerial view west across Kepler Mire (c. 230 m a.s.l. and 560 ha) with Lake Manapouri beyond, in Fiordland National Park. Note the numerous string pools that pattern the central part of the mire and marginal laggs, plus dark areas of manuka (Leptospermum scoparium)-dominated moraine surfaces.
Copyright Alan Mark 1998.

Aerial view of a swale in South Westland, New Zealand, showing the distinctive pattern of elongated (string) pools that have developed at right angles to both the long axis of this wetland and also to its very gentle slope southwards towards the Okuru River.
Copyright Alan Mark 1998.

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	Aerial view of the Hapuka estuary 12 km south of Haast, showing the recently completed boardwalk which traverses the wetland sequence from the tidal reaches of the lower Hapuka River, South Westland, New Zealand through the fringing manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) shrubland and into the tall mixed podocarp-broadleaved forest occupying the dune ridge beyond. Copyright Alan Mark 1998.
	Aerial view northwest over the Burmeister forest-wetland complex that extends out to Jackson Bay as a dune-swale system between the Arawata River (left) and the granite dome of Mt McLean (right), South Westland, New Zealand. The Haast-Jackson Bay road is the white line traversing the centre of the wetland, and provides easy access onto the wetlands. Copyright Alan Mark 1998.
	Aerial view of the extensive low-alpine string bog and island tarn wetland complex at the head of the Roaring Lion creek, Nevis Valley, southern Central Otago, New Zealand, at an elevation of c.1300m. Copyright Alan Mark 1995.
	Pool system on a hillside bench east of Mt Tennyson, southern Central Otago, New Zealand. Elongated islands probably indicate the positions of earlier pool margins, before coalescence to large pools. Copyright Alan Mark 1995.
	Typical of the intriguing ecological complexity and logistical challenges of Te Waahipounamu is the extensive lowland mire on the coastal plain between the Hapuka and Waiatoto in South Westland, New Zealand. The various patterns of woody vegetation on slightly raised sites, together with the obvious indications of wetland paludification, await elucidation by an enterprising researcher. Copyright Alan Mark 1998.
	Aerial view west across Kepler Mire (c. 230 m a.s.l. and 560 ha) with Lake Manapouri beyond, in Fiordland National Park. Note the numerous string pools that pattern the central part of the mire and marginal laggs, plus dark areas of manuka (Leptospermum scoparium)-dominated moraine surfaces. Copyright Alan Mark 1998.
	Aerial view of a swale in South Westland, New Zealand, showing the distinctive pattern of elongated (string) pools that have developed at right angles to both the long axis of this wetland and also to its very gentle slope southwards towards the Okuru River. Copyright Alan Mark 1998.