So I went to South Island of New Zealand for a week of holiday. I didn't see any ants around Queenstown, maybe it is because of this time of the year, the temperature is colder than Australia. On another note, I did see lots of bees.
At Te Anau and further to the national park, I found the ants below. However, I am not sure if they are native species.
At Dunedin, I didn't see any ants either. However, I went to the local museum and they happened to have "Minibeast" exhibition on, which showcases various insects. Small quantity of ant samples are also included, but they are just dried specimens. What caught my eyes, however, is the live dung beetles colony, living in glass panel tank filled with dung and covered up by a black panel to block out the light, which is very similar to formicarium! Those dung beetles are much easier to raise than ants, if anyone is interested and doesn't mind a bit smell or anti appetite.
Christchurch was my last stop. I did found some common black ants around, but wasnt too keen about them. I guess they are regular urban dwellers.
