Natural features
Pingao, Pouto Dunes
The Pouto Peninsula contains one of the largest unmodified dune systems remaining in New Zealand (over 600 hectares). It is a large mosaic of active mobile dunes, consolidated dunes, sand flats, impounded wetlands and dune lakes, with patches of coastal scrub and forest.
Pouto's dunes rise up to 214m above sea level, and many areas are over 100m.
There is a wide range of permanent and ephemeral (temporary) wetlands. Between the low and high dune lands lies over 20 freshwater sand dune lakes and swamps. The dune lakes are especially important as a habitat for nationally threatened and regionally significant species of fish and plants.
Three threatened plants found at Pouto are:
- Swamp Fern (Thelypteris confluens)
- Tuatara Plant (Hydatella inconspicua)
- Pingao (Desmoschaenus spiralis)
Australasian bittern at nest containing
eggs
Four threatened birds found at Pouto are:
- New Zealand Dab Chick (Poliocephalus rufopectus)
- Australasian Bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus)
- Brown Teal (Anus aucklandia)
- New Zealand Dotterel (Charadrius obscurus)
A threatened fresh water fish - Dwarf Inanga (Galaxias gracilis) is found at Pouto, while the drift zone is home to the rare Black Katipo spider (Latrodectus katipo) and False Scorpion. A small endemic moth (notoreas) listed as nationally endangered is found on coastal sites.
The arrival of man has resulted in major changes to the ecosystem. Deforestation caused by fires and the more recent stabilising of dunes by planting of grasses and pines has modified the effects of wind and weather on the landscape and created a new range of habitats.
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