Hiking adventure for Mangawhai Nature School

PIROA-BRYNDERWYNS LANDCARE GROUP

8 Aug, 2022

On June 30 around 25 students hit the Tanekaha Walking Track to enjoy the beautiful Brynderwyn ranges and learn more about the bush. Mangawhai Nature School is a private one-day-a-week programme in regular school time where students who choose to attend can broaden their knowledge and experience of nature and the outdoors.

It is great to see our local schools embracing environmental education for their students, and business supporting the programmes being offered.

Big thanks to Greg Stump from Mangawhai Trackies and Waipu Kiwis who kindly guided the botanical walk with the students.

The recent Tanekaha track adventure for the students was to continue their learning from the seed collection and propagation workshop recently run by Ricky from Mangawhai Natives. The students have been learning animal pest control including managing traps on the school grounds and recording their catch data, seed collection and propagation.

The Tanekaha track walk acquainted the students with new experiences ranging from boot washing to help reduce the spread of Kauri dieback, observing eels in streams, stoat trapping, identifying native plants that have healing properties, and discussing track building and what the volunteers do.

“They all had a wonderful time and were full of all sorts of questions and discussions when we returned,” said teacher Maree Stewart.

Greg Stump knows the track better than most having been one of the volunteer track builders for the Mangawhai Trackies who built the track.

"What a wonderful group of young people … so well behaved and smart. I was impressed by their demeanour and felt lucky to have spent the day with them."

Student Poppy could not get the smile off her face throughout the day: her great passion is for the outdoors and animals.

In the coming term the students will continue their work including taking home rat trap boxes built by the MenzShed Waipu to extend trapping into their own back yards. They will also start to learn about stream and freshwater health and how that fits into our broader ecosystem, including identification of the creatures in their school streams.

Student Poppy is passionate about animals and the outdoors.

Students were full of questions after walking the Tanekaha Track.