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By the Miocene, New Zealand was perched between the Indian-Australian and Pacific
plates. It suddenly became a string of ever changing active volcanoes, adding new
land to the eroded terrain. This phase of mountain building and volcanic activity
is named the Kaikoura Orogeny, and it continues to this day.
This was a time of warm weather and floral and faunal flourish. The formation of
alpine areas (as well as subtropical areas) made for a great number of ecological
niches.
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