"Noxious weed"

The Taieri Gorge Train which cuts through gorges, alongside steep cliffs, through seven handcut tunnels and across wrought iron viaducts is a marvellous tribute to the engineers but I include this photo to show the attractive yellow broom flowers.
Throughout the country the countryside was full of broom and gorse but these introduced plants have become so invasive and a threat to agriculture and the local biodiversity. Millions of dollars are spent to eradicate them but unfortunately the seed can lie dormant for 50 years. I saw 79 flowering plants which grow wild in Britain and which had probably been introduced and also saw many other wild plants which I have not yet identified. My favourite was the Mount Cook Lily which I noticed as we traversed the high alpine roads.
Other introduced pests include stoats, rabbits and possums which can denude a tree of all its leaves overnight so they are trapped or shot in order to protect the local flora and fauna.

(Tracks 27 - train)