Luxury Travel Insider · Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Phil Borman discusses the surprising fact that New Zealand has no native land mammals, explaining that the ecosystem is dominated by birds. He shares an anecdote about surprising hikers who expect to see various mammals when on treks, only to be told to look out for birds.
“So there's nothing here that will really bite. Unlike Australia.”
“So yeah, New Zealand, New Zealand has no native land mammals and it's mostly birds.”
“Yeah, people are very surprised about it because often like if we're taking people hiking on hiking trips they're like, well, you know, what animals should we be looking out for?”
“And like, uh, they're always surprised when I say, well, none actually. But birds. Birds, yes. For sure.”