These incredible pictures show the astonishing natural beauty of Te Wahipounamu in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island.
It is known for its reserves of the decorative stone jade. Indeed, Te Wahipounamu means 'Place of Jade' in the Maori language.
The forests and mountains are a time capsule of Gondwana, the supercontinent that fragmented into the landmasses of today’s Southern Hemisphere.
When New Zealand split off from what is now Australia to begin its own journey into the Pacific, it created an ecological separation that endured 80million years.
That long solitude has made New Zealand a showcase of Gondwanan flora and fauna. South West New Zealand is its best window on that ancient world.
Maori maintain a presence here, though their numbers are thin.
A symbolic moment came in 2005, when Mahuika’s people opened a carved meetinghouse, their first ceremonial house in 140 years. It was a statement of survival and of hope but also an acknowledgment of human impermanence, a truth expressed in a Maori proverb: 'People come and go, but the land endures'.
The images are featured in the March issue of National Geographic magazine.
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