Hall’s tōtara/broadleaf forest is found on the slopes of mountains without beech trees. Locations include the Hauhungaroa Range, southern Ruahine and northern Tararua Ranges, Mt Taranaki, and the slopes of mountain ranges across inland Marlborough, south Canterbury, and Otago. 

Hall’s tōtara and kaikawaka are the most abundant conifers. Although, around Lake Taupo and in the northern Tararua Ranges there are more mataī and mountain toatoa than kaikawaka.

The canopy is dominated by broadleaf with local fuchsia and/or kāmahi, although the latter is generally restricted to regions with wetter climates and is largely absent where dry föhn winds are a feature of the climate.

The projected natural range of Hall’s tōtara/broadleaf forest across Aotearoa is 1,162,290 hectares.

Common native species, photos courtesy of NZ Plant Conservation Network: