Maungatautari trip

Last Thursday Room 13 and Room 2 and Room 6 went on a trip to Maungatautari Ecological Reserve.Maungatautari is a big mountain covered in forest with a pest-proof fence all around it to keep the native birds and geckos and tuatara safe inside.
We had a brilliant time.

We travelled there on the bus.

When we got to the reserve we went to Pukatea school first where Tom, the guide, told us all about Maungatautari and the project to keep the birds safe.

We got organised to start our big walks.

Here we are at the Tuatarium learning all about the tuatara that live on the banks of the wetland that is beside the Maunga. 

We had to walk really really quietly so as to not scare the tuatara away.

Here is one of the tuatara.

After that we went into the forest, cool and green and dim.

We found out how Maori used to trap kereru. The picture of the spear is the length of the spears that they used to catch the birds when they were feeding in a little waka filled with berries.

We wondered if a kiwi might have its burrow in the roots of this big old tree.

This might Rimu tree reminded us of the big Redwood at our school.
The guide told us that this Rimu is probably nearly a thousand years old!!!

Pierce's mum was really excited when she saw a kaka!

Here is Carl, our guide, attracting the kaka to come and get some peanuts.

Here is one eating a nut out of its claws.

Kaka have very sharp hooked beaks.
The Kaka Beak flower is called that because it is the same shape as the Kaka's beak.

What a wonderful place Maungatautari is. We hope that the native creatures that live there will be able to stay there safely forever.

We learned that we need to do our best to help keep predators and pests under control so that they don't kill our native birds and reptiles.