Somewhat off topic to the article, but if you ever get the chance to go deep into New Zealand Bush, do. There's nothing quite like it, the air is thick and wet, it has an incredible smell. Stuart Island is particularly good.
Second this, there's nothing quite like a walk through nz bush.
I would add that NZ bush walks aren't curated forest walks. You're walking through rough dense terrain. Check the weather, be prepared for sudden changes and carry food and water for a couple of extra days and a PLB. That or stick to the super popular tracks but they're just not the same.
Any chance you could link into some material how to do this correctly? So far I've been sticking to tracks and they were good enough for me. But it does feel like I should go off-road. I've been to a walk with a meetup group, but that wasn't proper bush either.
Your best bet is to find a local tramping club, each area has different challenges. Beyond that DoC has a good set of tips http://www.doc.govt.nz/safety
Is the NZ fauna as bad as Australia's? I have spent a lot of time walking in North American forests, and I feel pretty safe in them, even with possible bear presence (I was in Alaska twice and it was majestic). I'd be scared to walk in a forest/bush in New Zealand or Australia.
NZ and Australia have very different fauna. They might look close on a world map but the distance from Sydney to Auckland is over 2000 km.
Just one example: Australia has a wide variety of mammals (mostly marsupials, e.g. kangaroos). NZ has very few native mammals, but it does have a huge assortment of unusual native birds. (Indeed, birds fill a lot of ecological niches that mammals normally do.) In fact, there's an ongoing effort to get rid of all non-native mammals: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/12/22/big-kill
Finally, the "all the Animals in Australia want to kill you" idea is popular and kind of amusing, but hugely overblown. Yes, there are deadly animals but you typically have to be doing something unusual or silly to encounter one in a dangerous way. Plus there's no poison ivy...
I walked 400km of the Te Araroa trail earlier this year. Compared to Australia, there is a marked absence of fauna. A number of other walkers commented about the same thing. The only encounters with animals I heard of that were possibly dangerous were a surprised goat and a falcon acting defensively about it's territory.
You're more likely to die from cold exposure (I got very chilled one time) or crossing a river. Sandflies and spear grass will annoy you at times but they won't kill you.
Land based fauna, there is pretty much nothing to worry about, other then maybe wild pigs. Couple of venomous spiders but they are fairly mild to humans anyway.
Sea based, the usual sharks, sting rays etc. But as most countries attacks are pretty rare.
Your far more likely to get into trouble by either falling, getting lost, or not having suitable gear with you.
Or drowning crossing a river - long called "the New Zealand disease", because so many die from it.
New Zealand has amazing bush and a network of very basic huts, and it's well worth visiting if you like hiking and camping. Personally I think The Southern Alps provide the best hiking in the world, which is why I live here.
So welcome, but come with respect. Please don't go alone, and learn about how - and more importantly when not to - cross rivers.
There are no venomous animals in New Zealand worth mentioning. The biggest risk in the bush is getting cold imo. I'm more scared of going into the bush in Japan because there are snakes here. They aren't aggressive, but I wouldn't want to stand on one accidentally.
Australia can be dangerous, but not for the reasons people think.
People who go wandering into the outback (think Death Valley a few times the size of Europe) or swimming in hidden rips are more likely to end up on the news for the wrong reasons than being randomly eaten by a croc.
I don't think there had been a spider death in Australia for decades. Snake deaths happen occasionally but almost always because some kid is running into long, dry grass in summer. Recently a NZ woman was killed by a croc on the beach after ignoring explicit warnings and running around drunk during their feeding time - in a remote far north rainforest.
Sharks are present and dangerous though, another reason to be mindful before jumping into the clear blue ocean.
What about the flora? Actually, our flora is pretty benign too, but we do have the aptly-named bush lawyer that is a sort of micro-razorwire vine. Escaping it usually means bloodshed.
New Zealand tree nettle is kinda nasty [1], but it has a very limited range and while I can verify from personal experience how painful it is, it's probably not going to do permenant damage.
I'm pretty sure NZ has a less deadly set of wildlife than Oz, though surprising a boar could still end badly. No crocs, fewer snakes, spiders and dropbears.
