Rangitoto Island, part of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, is a dominant landmark of Auckland. Situated 35 minutes by ferry from Downtown Auckland, the islands' unique geological and natural attributes are of international interest.
There are virtually no streams on the island so plants rely on rainfall for moisture. It has the largest forest of pôhutukawa trees in the world,as well as many northern râtâ trees. In total, more than 200 species of trees and flowers thrive on the island, including several species of orchid, as well as more than 40 types of fern.
The island is considered especially significant because all stages from raw lava fields to scrub establishment and sparse forests are visible. As lava fields contain no soil of the typical kind, windblown matter and slow breaking-down processes of the native flora are still in the process of transforming the island into a more habitable area for most plants, which is one of the reasons why the local forests are relatively young and do not yet support a large bird population. However, the kâkâ, a New Zealand-endemic parrot, is thought to have lived on the island in pre-European times.
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