KEY POINTS:
Although it is one of the most recognisable symbols of Auckland, Rangitoto Island is sometimes taken for granted. There it sits, a presence that, for once, merits the iconic label but is just part of the landscape.
This beautifully produced book serves as a useful reminder of what an extraordinary treasure it is. Here we have within easy reach of New Zealand's biggest population centre a volcanic island that is, by geological standards, brand new. It provides an extraordinary opportunity to see nature in action on a page that was blank only 600 years ago - not only blank but unpromising, with no soil and consisting of lava but which is now filling with an astonishing range of life.
Over two years members of the Auckland Botanical Society set out to record every kind of plant there and knocked up the remarkable score of 1181 not out, ranging from seaweeds and mosses to native trees. This book's various contributors provide a comprehensive account across this range and there are fascinating chapters on the geology and wildlife.
There are details that only botanists will love but there is plenty of material for the lay reader to browse on and it is hard to imagine that there is any visitor to the island who will not be able to find some benefit and pleasure in its pages.
Perhaps most heartening to the casual reader, in this age in which all human impact is often treated as destructive, is to read that "there seems to be remarkably little adverse impact on the vegetation from the daily influx of visitors".
So you can take your trip to Rangitoto with a clear conscience and, armed with this book, a better appreciation of the wonder on our doorstep.
* Published by Auckland Botanical Society Inc. $40
