Mt. Ruapehu
I’ve always been fascinated by the tens of thousands of species of plants, animals, and other life forms that have evolved to survive in harsh alpine environments. With lots of volcanic activity throughout the country, and the massive Southern Alps range stretching across the majority of the South Island, New Zealand is a paradise for these species. In the winter months, these alpine landscapes are completely barren. But with the weather starting to warm up in late October, the mountains come alive.
I recently decided to spend a couple days exploring Tongariro National Park in the central North Island. I had been trudging through thick rainforests, coastal wetlands, and muddy farm fields for the past month and needed a change of scenery. The endless rolling hills covered in rare alpine plants were calling my name and I couldn’t ignore it.
I woke up on October 29th in Whakapapa Village, and began preparations for my twelve-mile out-and-back trek to the Tama Lakes, where I expected to find plenty of new species for my list. With only a few hundred meters of elevation gain, the hike wouldn’t be the most challenging but the cold temperatures and high winds added another level of difficulty. When I first set out, It was only 29 degrees and the wind was blowing strong. I was shocked to see insects already out and about in this below-freezing temperature. Resistance to cold weather is just one of the many adaptations these species possess to survive the harsh conditions of Mount Ruapehu.
My time under the treeline was very brief and within half an hour I had moved out of the dense forest into a vast alpine shrubland. I immediately began picking out some species that I knew I hadn’t seen before. One of these was Raoulia albosericea, a plant in the family Asteraceae along with sunflowers, daisies, and other common flowers. This species has adapted to the alpine environment in a fascinating way. By being small. With each flower being only a few millimeters wide, it can essentially hide from the intense wind and cold by staying close to the ground. This was a common trend as I got higher and higher, Pimelea microphylla, Styphelia nesophila and dozens of species of moss and lichens share this strategy.
Over the next twelve miles, I observed dozens of new species and their unique adapatations. I’ve linked a list of all the iNaturalist observations I made during my time in Tongariro National Park so you can see for yourself all of the amazing species that have evolved to be able to survive the high winds, frigid temperatures, volcanic activity, and much more.