This is a good "introductory" field guide for anyone new to New Zealand's unique and special flora and fauna - its compact size and sturdiness makes it ideal for backpackers. I chose this book after browsing for a travelling companion for myself in several NZ bookshops, because it seemed to be the only one in the market that contained both birds, mammals, reptiles, (some) insects and a big selection of plants - the competition always focused on only one subject. Had I had the space for several books, I would have picked more comprehensive ones for each subject, but this one actually served its purpose really well.

Besides the 700+ species illustrated with photographs, this book contains brief and clear descriptions of what's out there - including geography, landscapes, National Parks and "where to see what". Since it would be impossible to list everything on a book this size, the content mostly focuses on species that are easiest to come across (but still doesn't omit significant rarities like kakapo that very few people unfortunately ever see in the wild). The descriptions are very short and mostly just focus on identifying the species rather than being very informative about them. Each entry includes alternative and Maori/English names, there are also codes that will tell you at a glance where the species originated (endemic/native/visitor/introduced etc) and its conservation status. My biggest grievances are that there's nothing about fishes in the book (fresh or salt water) and the tree section was really difficult to use - the photos simply are not big and/or clear enough to make identifying those elusive shapeshifters any easier!

Bonus points for the passionate intro! :) ( )