Te Māra a Tāne - hikoi to Zealandia

 

On Thursday the teina classes of Ngai Kete went to Zealandia - Te Māra a Tāne. This hikoi was to tautoko the learning we have been doing this term around 'mini-beasts'. After a wonderful bus ride we arrived and were met by our hosts. We were able to have a kai before going into the ngahere.

This possum was one of the exhibits the tamariki were able to look at while some were still eating. It stimulated a lot of discussion about how we can be kaitiaki to our ngahere, about the predators in the ngahere.

Ko George tēnei! This is George - our wonderful guide for the day. 

George encouraged tamariki to look in knooks and crannies to find 'mini-beasts'. He also showed us the tarata (lemonwood). When you gently rub the leaves they release a lemony smell. This can be used as a scent.

On part of the ngahere has a sound garden where tamariki could push a button to hear the different birdsong of the manu that live here.

We talked about camouflage. Some of the manu were VERY hard to see. I wonder if you can spot the kererū?

A particular highlight was how close we were to these takahē. We had to be very quiet so as not to frighten them. We were able to get a close view of these taonga.

There was a lot of walking, as well as time spent looking closely in different areas to find what might be blending in to the background.

Some kererū were easier to see! He manu ātaahua! Kia au te moe e kererū!

After a quick pitstop to use the wharepaku - George opened up a 'cave' to see if there were any wētā present. At the back were a whānau of cave wētā. They have a different shape to the ones we see in our gardens. 

In one of the nooks at ground level - George explained that a kiwi had a burrow there. The kiwi would burrow a long way into the bank to create a space for them to retreat to during the day.

As we walked back to the Zealandia building we looked in a number of wētā hotels and were able to look closely at the wētā who were staying there. 

Back at the visitor centre we had a look at the exhibition area. The displays of the birds and the forest were amazing. A highlight here was the snail eating the worm - tamariki found this facinating!

We had such a fantastic day at Zealandia. The curiosity and enjoyment of the tamariki was infectious! However, the fun had not stopped when we left the ngahere! Sometimes it's about the journey! Many tamariki were excited by the prospect of the bus ride, this was only topped by the excitement of driving through the tunnel! Twice! Once on the way there - once on the way back! It was a big day!