A lowland vegetation sequence in South Westland: Pakihi bog to mixed beech-podocarp forest Part 1: The principal strata.

Six stands of lowland vegetation representing transitions from pakihi bog to mixed beech-podocarp forest are described quantitatively from the coastal plain of the Arawata and Jackson Rivers in South Westland. The sequence depicts progressive changes in canopy height, biomass and floristic richness, and appears to involve, at least in part, a primary succession. Some boundaries have been sharpened by periodic fires but the longterm trend remains unobscured.
Pollen evidence indicates that the pakihi bog began as a lake when the surrounding area was forested by both podocarps and silver beech. The bog seems never to have supported a woody vegetation but in the absence of fire, forest would slowly encroach on it.
With a highway traversing the sequence, its reservation for educational and scientific purposes has been proposed