ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS
KAMO INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL
Te Kura Takawaenga O Kamo
K.I.S Environment - 2006
THE MAGIC OF TIRITIRI
By Te Aniwa C (Matai KidzBiz Journalist – 2006)
Tiritiri Matangi, meaning ‘Buffeted by the wind’ was our island destination on the 15th of June. We left Kamo Intermediate at 6:45am to travel all the way to Whangaparoa, to catch a ferry to the Island. After, let’s say losing our bearings, we were soon parked up and feeding our rumbly tummies with morning tea. Most of us hadn’t been to Tiritiri before, and almost all of us thought it would be an absolute bore - but we were soon to find out…
The wind whipping through our hair, hammering us with a massive force, gripping on to the rail as though if we didn’t we would fly away, watching the sea birds duck and dive in the waves. Standing at the front of the ferry was a blast! The trip over on the boat didn’t take much time at all and with a forest covered, flat-topped island in view we were all preparing to leave the ferry. We jumped off raring to go (having recovered from the early morning wake up), and walked in a scattered line across the wharf. To greet us was a sadly uncommon sight nowadays- two large Takahe plucking around as though we weren’t even there. The Takahe plumage was similar to their cousins the Pukeko but dark, deep greens and purples were mixed in like a painted artwork. The caretakers of Tiri Tiri Matangi- Ray and Barbara, spoke to us about the island and the birds on it, they also introduced us to our guides and had the final word by saying we could go. The magic of Tiritiri was about to awe us.
The sound of singing birds in the bush was strong as we walked up a small hill to the dam where a lonely brown teal was gliding around leaving ripples in the calm, clear water. We were directed down the ‘Wattle Track’ and our eyes and ears pricked up and became sharp as knives, we weren’t going to let any birds get away with not being seen or heard. The sound through the bush was tremendous and our poor guide had to recognise all the sounds we were picking up, but the first birds to be seen were the Tui and Bellbird. But then another bird caught our attention. A little Saddleback. It had almost slipped away while we were watching the other two birds. Far off just behind the Tui’s wattle tree the terracotta saddle had given this bird away, none of us had seen it before and even the tiny little glimpse we had, had amazed us. Along the track more Tui and Bellbirds were there to greet us along with the almost camouflaged red crowned Parakeet and darting Stitchbird. The true meaning of Tiritiri Matangi was being shown to us at it’s full potential. We saw and heard more and more birds, the list too long to count, so many birds that we had never seen on the main land were absolutely flourishing on this island. But as another small hill greeted us we made our way to our pit stop- the shop and building where we would have our lunch. Peering up at the sky into the black clouds while the rain came rushing down we were soon running trying to get away from it’s damp, moist grip. The shelter of the lunchroom was well appreciated as everyone came in completely soaking.
A huge range of beautiful souvenirs was available at the tiny shop. Toys, postcards, pens, address books- you name it they had it. Everyone came out with at least one item to do our part to help support the volunteers of Tiritiri; the ones who help guide, plant, do all the work and can have most of the glory for making Tiritiri Matangi the island it was- all with out pay. But as the rain subsided it was time for us to leave. After saying our ‘Thankyou’s’ we all headed towards the long, downhill track that was leading us home. We came to grass covered hill and standing at the top provided us a wonderful view of Tiritiri and the surrounding islands, you could see the effort and time that had gone into providing these birds a good, predator-free home. Little Blue Penguins had their 5 minutes of fame when we discovered them in the nesting boxes but as we were walking down the beach with the ferry in sight everyone sighed - the overwhelming impressions of Tiritiri Matangi passing through, we were disappointed of having to leave.
We weren’t so energetic to get back on to the boat but we still all rushed to the front waiting for the speed and wind to pick up. Turning to see TiriTiri Matangi almost bobbing on the horizon, the island were we had spent so much of the day, and the abundance of it almost travelling across the water still enthralling us.
Another wonderful adventure had finished, another class trip over and… dreading it… another school day tomorrow!
PICTURESQUE PLANTING- MATAI’S TRIP TO THE QUARRY GARDENS
By Selina K (Matai KidzBiz Journalist-2006)
A greenhouse for propagating plants, a worm farm for making fantastic fertilizer, and The Islands Of Life native garden, designed especially to bring back the birds… Matai syndicate is the school environmental team always ready to help the community, with environmental projects.
In late July and early August, the four Matai classes split in half to tackle two days of planting at the Quarry Gardens. Due to several arson attacks, the native trees and once beautiful gardens have been partly destroyed and are in need of replanting. The Matai teachers took this opportunity to educate our syndicate about our environment and it’s needs, so planned for Rooms 8 & 9 to visit the gardens on the 31st of July, and for Rooms 6 & 7 to visit on the 2nd of August. They also arranged for the native plants that we propagated in our greenhouse, to be transported to the quarry.
On the day of the trip, we clonked towards the bus in our gumboots, spades in hand, and awkwardly stepped up into the vehicle.
Our arrival at the gardens was somewhat ungraceful, with everyone stumbling down the steps onto the rough gravel driveway. A local volunteer worker, named Dave, spent ten minutes or so explaining about different environmental projects around the Whangarei District, but his speech was mainly about the quarry. He thanked our school for donating the plants and for volunteering to plant them, because without our help it would have been a huge task. He also explained about the fires and the damage inflicted on the gardens recently.
We began to walk up the road to the lake, which the quarry volunteers have recently drained. Rocks, falling from the overhead cliff, have cracked holes in the cement on the edge of the lake, which was causing water to seep into the earth. They drained the lake to repair it, because they couldn’t keep the water in.
The animal and insect life in the lake includes small fish and different species of birds, but the grossest thing is that it is full of New Zealand native leeches! Dave also said that the quarry gardens are home to unwanted pests, such as possums. Recently, after they drained the lake, they discovered rat prints all over the mud and sludge on the lake floor. Apparently this was quite a shock for the workers!
Dave led us over to the other side of the lake, where we were going to be doing the planting. The view from there was stunning. A waterfall was flowing from the top of the cliff down into the lake, and if you looked back down towards the buses, you could see right between the hills to the busy streets and people of Whangarei.
The plants were still in their pots, laid out where we were supposed to plant them. He quickly showed us how to plant them, then we got to work. We got to the task, each of us having 3-5 plants to plant. Everyone was laughing, chatting, heaving soil in and out of freshly dug holes.
Once we were finished, Dave decided to take us for a tour around the quarry and to teach us about the plant life. Our first stop was up the hill at the Arid Gardens.
As we walked up the path towards the Arid Gardens, we realized just how much of it had been ruined. To the right of the path, succulents and different species of cacti were growing brilliantly, and everything looked healthy and maintained. However to the left of the path, just a few plants were dotted here and there, all of them either overturned, broken, or struggling to stay alive. In between them, was a mess of black wood, roots and fallen branches. A lot of trees and saplings had perished and fallen over, uplifting roots and causing soil to erode onto the path. Nature and the plant life had suffered a lot. Dave took a minute to show us what is happening to the bush because of the fires, and explained about the eroding soil and the damage that it could potentially cause.
He also told us that the plants in the Arid Gardens were selected especially because they are tough, and can go for long periods without water. In the summertime the Arid Gardens can get to pretty extreme heats; the record being broken this year in January with a whopping 47˚C! Dave said that a lot of visitors in the summer, are not prepared for the heat, and signs have yet to be put up, warning people, as it can be dangerous.
Amongst the unburned bush, Dave pointed out that there are native snails and also centipedes, which most of the workers have developed a habit of avoiding!
As we came down the hill from the Arid Gardens, we took an alternative route down a narrow path, that wound down the side of a steep slope. Along the way we saw some remains of the old quarry, crumbling cement blocks and decaying equipment. We eventually made our way down the track back to the buses, slipping and stumbling, and banging into trees. We left the Quarry Gardens masked in mud and covered in bruises. It had been a fantastic day!
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