Meeting a Kiwi

Last week was just tooooo exciting. Not only were we trying to finish off our amazing  endangered South African costumes for Edible Art, but we also had our Native Bush trip to The Pan pac Kiwi Creche at Lake Opouahi.
Paul from Mountain Safety had prepared us well for the trip into the bush, and Tuesday saw every child coming to school in a woolly hat, warm gear, gloves and a substantial packed lunch.
 It was pretty exciting to take off in the bus to a destination none of us had been to before. The ride took about 1 1/2 hours and I am pleased to say the bucket and flannels I had taken along (just in case) didn't need to be used.  Robyn from DOC, Paul and Mack, a trainee ranger, were all there to meet us. They took us through the predator gate and into the creche where we met some of the amazing kiwi volunteers who work tirelessly to take care of our beautiful national bird... the kiwi. These people give up their time to go into the Kawekas and retrieve the kiwi chicks who only have a 5% chance of survival, and bring them to the Creche at lake Opouahi where they live predator free until they are big enough to go- it on their own. They are then returned to their homes with their chances of survival rising to about 85%, if I remember rightly. A fantastic effort I'd say!
We saw eggs, predators, traps, plants, but to top it all off we got to touch a real kiwi, which I found quite moving. I won't go into any more detail but I will share a couple of the childrens stories, which are much more fun to read.
All in all it was a special day, and made so by the great help from parents and caregivers that came along to share it with us. Thank-you so much.


Hena-C with a kiwi egg- it is huge!

Lake Opouahi- a little gem

 

Bruno up close to a kiwi...Wow!



The predator fence

                               I got to feel a kiwi yesterday at Lake Opouahi. It was fun. The kiwi was soft and it looked wet but it wasn't. The kiwis eyes aren't very good so they use their whiskers to feel with. The kiwi was scared. It had a long beak and two strong legs. We heard birds in the bush and we got to see the predator traps go off. We could smell the native bush. I had a good day.   Jaxon


 On Thursday I went to Lake Opouahi. I liked tasting the kawakawa leaves that Mack tricked us into eating. He said they were icecream leaves when they were really pepper leaves! A cave weta jumped on to Gus's face, he stayed very still until Mack took it off. He let it go free and it jumped away. It had very long legs. I saw some bush stinging nettle and some black berry. A piece got caught onto Sophias neck and gave her a fright. We went on a bus we had never been on. I sat right at the back and it was fun. It was very exciting for everyone.   Kyle

Yesterday we saw a kiwi for real. It was a baby but it was big for a kiwi. It was 11 months old. My favourite part was eating the kawakawa leaves that Mack tricked us into eating. My family came for the trip too. It was a spectacular day.   Luca