>
> Thanks a lot for your detailed post, I saved it on disk. I could see
> several Nothofagus species in both islands, some seemed to be very
> common indeed. With a small book I could identify N. menziesii (Tawhai),
> N. truncata with larger leaves, and maybe N. fusca, but I was not too
> clever to recognize the various plants that are so different from those
> we are accustomed to. We were explained different things especially at
> Milford Sounds, Lake Wanaka and elsewhere (near Franz Josef).
>
> The flora is magnificient but you have also an awful pest in NZ : Urtica
> ferox. ;-))
>
U. ferox (ongaonga) is not a big deal. I have not heard of any nasty
reactions to its sting. I generally get a slight burning sensation that
goes tingly and then fades after 24 hrs or so. I would rather have a
stinging nettle than bears, alligators etc!
Ongaonga does have a bad habit of occupying the sides of tracks!
