Ferns always have my special attention. They are beautiful plants and often display a fractal (scale-invariant) structure, which makes them interesting to the eye and fascinating from a scientific point of view (chaos theory). The leaf of the silverfern is the national symbol for New Zealand and the curl of the new fern leaf also is a powerful symbol in Maori art/culture. It is interesting that the Maori seemed to have an eye for fractal structures.

New Zealand offers a wide variety of fern species. I tried to grab some pictures along the way, but unfortunately this proved very difficult because the weather was often not cooperative and ferns usually grow in darker areas where you need a tripod for sharp pictures (as I had to travel light, I did not have a tripod with me). Guess I have to go back for better pictures ;-)