Hiking on Mt. Taranaki

On Sunday we went to the North Egmont entrance to Taranaki National Park. There are several great hikes emanating from the visitor's center about half way up the mountain. We took two short loops, of which this photo is typical. The foliage is very dense and luxurious. Every 100 meters along the trails there are stoat traps, wooden boxes with entries but no exit. There is an egg in the center to entice the stoat into the trap. Stoats are in the weasel family, and are some of the many non-native land mammals that man has introduced. Stoats and rats are responsible for the endagered status of the kiwi. The birds in NZ did not evolve to escape predators on the ground. Another big pest is the possum. Some forward thinker introduced the possum thinking it would create a fur industry for NZ..... and it has to some extent, but at a great price to the flora of the country. The possum is indigenous to Australia and is very different from the North American variety, and the fir is nice. You can get lots of possum-based items locally.