oblique main stem, C. Colensoi, Suttonia divaricata, Olearia arborescens, and, on the floor, Polystichum vestitum and Gahnia pauciflora are usually present in quantity. On tree trunks Hymenophyllum sanguinolentum and H. multifidum are often profuse, while on the ground, together with bryophytes, they form a dense green carpet almost perpetually saturated with moisture. The tree roots presently lift this from the ground leaving large cavities beneath, which add to the difficulties of progress.

Below 900 m. N. fusca is frequently the dominant species in the climax association, and it is in any case common, as are also Podocarpus Hallii, P. ferrugineous, and Weinmannia racemosa. Of these Weinmannia is practically the only species that continues into the upper belt and then in very much reduced numbers. The following smaller trees and shrubs, though plentiful in the lower part of the belt, are likewise seldom found above 900 m.:—Suttonia salicina, Pseudowintera colorata (frequently dominant in the Rimutaka Range), Cyathea Smithii and in somewhat fewer numbers Griselinia littoralis and Nothopanax Sinclairii. Beneath these, within 1 m. of the ground, Blechnum discolor or Gleichenia Cunninghamii may cover large areas of dryer ground, while in moist hollows, deeply shaded, Leptopteris superba often grows luxuriantly. Myrtus pedunculata, Astelia Cunninghamii and Microlaena avenacea are commonly present and on the ground or decaying logs, Enargea parviflora and Libertia pulchella, the latter being markedly consistent in its upper limit.

In the upper part of the belt and penetrating under favourable conditions even into the lower, the place of the shrubs of lower altitudes is increasingly taken by species more properly considered in the following section under the heading of scrub, such as Olearia Colensoi, Senecio elaeagnifolius, Coprosma pseudocuneata and Pittosporum rigidum, and Astelia Cockaynei which is more typically a plant of the tussock. Danthonia Cunninghamii is, however, a forest species and Olearia lacunosa mainly so, and these with Phormium Colensoi occur commonly.

In the Northern Tararua Area the cold temperate forest is, for the most part, not clearly defined. In the absence of Nothofagus Menziesii, N. fusca dominates the climax association on Tawhirikohukohu and in the vicinity of the Mangahao Dam, while Phyllocladus alpinus is occasionally dominant about Ngapuketurua. On the other hand Nothofagus is practically absent from the eastern side of the area and Dacrydium biforme is the dominant species. Otherwise, however, the associations found in this area are but slight modifications of those found elsewhere.