New Zealand - Rainforest

Say the word 'rainforest' and most likely the kind of places that come to mind are the Amazon and Hawaii.  However, rainforests are not restricted to hot, humid regions.  The US northwest has rainforests and a great deal of New Zealand is covered in rainforest.

The thing about rainforests is that they need a lot of water - hence the name rain-forest.  So it wasn't surprising that we met with rain on the west coast of the South Island.  Lake Ianthe, roughly halfway between Hokitika and Franz Josef Glacier, is a pretty area with plenty of typical New Zealand bush, as shown in these photos:

For more in the New Zealand series, click HERE