Australia & NZ (Cruise) -- Nov 2013

Back in the 1800s, European settlers introduced a lot of plants they had been familiar with back in their home countries. These introduced plants have now overgrown much of New Zealand. The country is now apparently a few years into a long-term plan to re-introduce the original native New Zealand plants into much of the country. We were told it was a 500-year plan (not a typo: 500 years; hopefully it has wide political support, and is not the sort of thing that the other political party is going to repeal when they get into office next).

Anyhow, the white boxes on the hillside are there to protect some type of native plant that has been placed here, until the plant gets larger. Apparently at this stage in the plant's life cycle it is really tasty to some type of animal. I think we might have been told it was possums who eat this particular thing -- but it could have been rabbits (no one seems to be very fond of bunnies in either Australia or New Zealand.

It did not occur to me until later that this 500-year plan seems inconsistent with them making money exporting lumber and wood pulp from introduced trees that grow faster here than back in their native countries. Presumably that economic factor is incorporated into theri plan somehow. (IMG_5195.SX40.JPG)