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  • Bat Night

    Pelorus Nov 2019 Learning all about the Long Tail Bat that lives here at Pelorus Bridge Our very lucky kids got to learn all about the local long tail bat that lives right here at Pelorus Bridge. The wonderful Gillian from the Bat Project came to tell the kids all about the bat. She even brought along the net they use to catch the bat so they can track it. After some fun games and a coloring in competition. We headed off to check out weta motels we had made a few months back and have a look in the Weta Tree while we waited for it to get dark. Once it was dark we went out bat spotting with our bat detectors. We found bats!!!! it was amazing to see them flying through the air and hearing them on the detectors. The kids had a blast. Bat Night

  • ca67a5ac-7230-4a6d-8b02-49c50dbdb449

    Maori Picture Dictionary The Kuwi and Friends Māori Picture Dictionary (He Papakupu Whakaahua) is a fun, easy-to-use resource for those wanting to discover, learn and use everyday words in te reo Māori. The illustrations are designed to help with comprehension, particularly for younger learners. Visual cues can assist with retention of language, to recall spoken and written words. A hard-cover book with 68 fully illustrated pages, in a large format (266 x 320mm), in vibrant full colour, with over 1000 te reo Māori words, translated into English. Embedded with gorgeous Kuwi the kiwi (and friends) illustrations. Designed for everyday use, in the whānau (family), kura (school) and for all New Zealanders. Ages 0-100+. English Text and Illustration by Kat Quin Te Reo Māori Translation by Pānia Papa Nā Kat Quin ngā tuhinga reo Pākehā me ngā whakaahua Nā Pānia Papa ngā whakamāoritanga Price Range $35 a book

  • Hamupēke - Humpback Whale | Envirohub

    Learn about our beautiful taonga species, the Hamupēke | Humpback Whale and check out our games, activities, arts and crafts and how you can better protect them! Hamupēke Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) Humpback Whales are oft en found in our waters around Aotearoa during their annual migrations. These incredible mammals like to sometimes put on a show! Follow along to learn all about the humpback whale and how you might spot one out in our ocean. Humpback whales like to put on great displays and can often been seen breaching (jumping) out of the water. They are easy to identify by their very distinctive hump in front of a small dorsal fin. They also have extremely long pectoral fins (up to 1/3 of their body length!) and a broad fluke (tail). The marks on a humpbacks tail are unique to each humpback - like fingerprints are to a human. You can use these marking to help identify individual humpback whales! Hamupēke Facts! General ACTIVITIES, CRAFTS, GAMES AND QUIZZES Throughout this page you'll find some fun activities and resources you can explore at home with your whānau and friends. Some of these resources have been put together with the help of our fantastic local organisations. A huge thank you to those people who have helped put these together for us, we appreciate your support! Don't forget to share your activities with us, either tag us on social media or email them to us at conservationkids@envirohub.co.nz Image Credit - Andrea Izzotti Some tribes see whales as the descendants of Tangaroa, the god of the ocean. Whales possess a tapu (sacred) significance to Maori as both supernatural beings and as harbingers of personal change and spiritual growth. When whales appeared on long journeys by waka across the Pacific ocean, they were seen as a sign that the iwi should settle in that place. They were also seen as benevolent guardians when they swam alongside the waka, guiding the way through tumultuous Pacific storms towards the safety of land. Hamupēke Facts! Te Ao Maori Art - Create a Whale's Tail Create a Whale's Tail Whale Tails/Flukes are all differe nt and can be used to help identify individual whales. Have a go at creating your own unique patte rn for your own whale's fluke. Click the image to download the PDF! Hamupēke / Humpback whales feed on mostly small organisms such as tiny crustaceans called krill and even small fish. Humpback's have baleen plates in their mouth, these are large rows of keratin plates similar to human hair or fingernails. They filter feed by taking huge gulps, then filtering the water out leaving only the yummy crustaceans and fish behind to swallow. Click on this image to watch a video on how some humpback whales use bubble netting to feed! Hamupēke Facts! Ecology & Diet Image -Credit - Unknown CRAFT - Hamupēke Snacks Hamupēke Snacks Have some fun making an upcycled humpback whale from a toilet roll! Don't forget his baleen (instead of teeth) do you know what they made of in real life? Give your Hamupēke a name and make him some tasty snacks. This craft is to show how the large baleen plates in a humpback's mouth help to catch all their food! Don't forget to share your Hamupēke with us we would love to know its name. Click the image to download the PDF sheet! Image - Creator: Sean Steininger | Credit: Shutterstocki Hamupēke live all over the world - there are 14 distinct populations worldwide. The humpback whales we often see around the shores of NZ are from the Oceania population. Humpbacks are great migrators, traveling up to 16,000km each year! They like to feed in the colder Antarctic waters and migrate to warmer tropical waters for breeding and giving birth. You can often spot them migrating past NZ in the cooler months of June and July as they head north. Hamupēke Facts! Habitat Hamupēke GAMES Grab some of your friends or whānua and have a go at these fun Hamupēke games and activites. How Baleen Works This activity aim s to demonstrate how baleen plates work and how whales uses them to eat. Click on the image to download the instructions. If you give this game a go with your class or some friends take a pic or video a nd share it with us! How Long is a Hamupēke This activity aim s to demonstrate how larg e/long a humpback whale is. Get your friends and family toge ther, line up and visualize the length of a Humpback whale! Click on the image t o download the instructions. Image Credit - Unknown Humpback whales give birth to live young, just like us humans. A baby whale is called a calf. Whale calves are born tail first, then the mother guides the calf to the water surface for it to take its first breath. They suckle on their mum's milk which is rich and thick. The mother squirts the milk into the calf's mouth. Female Humpbacks only produce a calf every 2-3 years. Hamupēke Facts! Breeding ACTIVITY - Test Your Knowledge Test your knowledge - Parts of a Humpback Whale Have a go at testing your knowledge see how many parts of the whale you can name. Click on the image below to download the quiz and have a go. See how many you can answer! Click the image to download the quiz! Click the Humpback to download the answers. Ever wonder how the Humpback whale stays warm while swimming in the freezing water down in Antarctica ?? Well they have blubber - a fatty substance below their skin that helps to keep them warm. Check out this neat video from SciShow Kids that demonsrates how blubber works. Have a go at it your self - Did the blubber keep your hand warm? Don't forget to send us in a photo of you testing this out, we would love to hear all about your experiment. Hamupēke Facts! Crazy Facts! Other Hamupēke / Humpback Whale Resources Below you will find links to other Hamupēke resources, click the images to take you to the websites. Check them out! The Sea Swallow and the Humpbackwhale by Catherine Barr The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimarea Department of Conservation For more Humpback whale information click the image NOAA Fisheries For more Humpback information click the image Whale and Dolphin Conservation Become a whale guardian with WDC, check out their fun online digital progamme for kids. DOC - Toyota Kiwi Guardian Activity Help look after the humpback whales becoming a water champion! Although the Toyota Kiwi Guardian programme has now finished and you can no longer claim the medals. The activates are still a fantastic way for your tamariki to help support our conservation and native species. Below is a link to the "Water Champion" activity! Help to clean up a water way or coastline near you. Then take action to help protect it. Click the image to download a PDF Instruction sheet to learn how to become a Water Champion! Image Credit - Envirohistory NZ Historically, the biggest threat to our Humpback whales has been whaling, with this intensifying in the late 18th century up until 1965. Humpbacks were hunted in NZ waters, with hunters taking advantage of the migration seasons. Between 1911 and 1965, 4500 whales (mostly humpbacks) were caught in the Tory Channel alone. In 1965 the whaling industry collapsed with the whales had been hunted close to extinction. Since then, NZ has made large efforts to help protect our whales and help bring the numbers back. Whaling is now illegal in NZ waters, but there are still threats: plastic pollution and large boat strike are some of the biggest threats to our humpback whales today. Check out the next Hamupēke Fact to find out how you can help! Hamupēke Facts! Threats Hamupēke Facts! What YOU can do! So... How can you help protect our whales? Glad you asked! Firstly, help to reduce our plastic waste. Plastic can end up in our oceans and harm not only our whales but other marine species. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse and Rot where possible! Keep an eye out for a beach cleanup near you and lend a helping hand. Image Credit - Envirohub Beach Clean Up event Image Credit - Department of Conservation NZ Act safely on the water around Humpacks When out on a boat there are ways you can safely observe any marine life you come across, especially whales and other marine mammals. Click HERE to learn how you can safely share our coast lines with our beautiful taonga of the ocean. Visit a Hamupēke - Humpback Whale Southern Humpbacks migrate past NZ on their way to the warmer waters of the Pacific to breed. One hot-spot to see them as they migrate is in Kaikōura . You can hop on a whale watch tour in hopes of seeing one from the water, or find a high vantage point somewhere along the coast and try your luck at spotting! Remember, anywhere in the world that you join a tour or wildlife experience, make sure you do your research and ensure the experience is ethical and have the animal's best interests in mind! KORI's annual Great Kaikoura Whale Count Each winter, around June/July, the Kaikōura Ocean Research Institute holds an annual whale count, where they count as many whales migrating past Kaikōura as they can, with a focus on the humpbacks. You can even vol unteer to head along and help them out and be a part of the action! Click on the KORI logo above to go to their website and find out more. Sadly in 2023 they did not receive the funding needed to carry out the whale coun, but you can still head along yourself and have a go at spotting some whales from the shore. A good spot to take your binoculars and try your hand at spotting whales is from the top of Kaikōura peninsular track. Whale Blow Identification Have a go at identifying some whale's from the shore - different whales have unique blows when they come to the surface for air. This chart will show you how to identify what whale you have spotted from their blow or other distinctive features - e.g. humpback whales have a distinctive round shape to their blow. Click on the image to the right to download the instructions from DOC. Hamupēke / Humpback Whale Gallery Images from some of our Humpback Whale events 2023 Humpback Whale Day

  • Tuna - NZ Eels | Envirohub

    Learn about our beautiful taonga species, the Tuna | NZ Eel and check out our games, activities, arts and crafts and how you can better protect them! Tuna ~ NZ Eels (Longfin eel - Anguilla dieffenbachii , Shortfin eel -Anguilla australis) We have two unique species of eel here in Aotearoa, the long fin and the short fin eel. We do have a third eel called the spotted eel but they are a visitor from Australia and not native to NZ. Follow along to find out more about our two native eels and how you can tell them apart. The NZ short fin eel is the more common eel that you will find in our waterways in lowland Marlborough. The long fin eels which can only be found in NZ are less common and are designated 'at risk' which means that we need to protect them otherwise they may go extinct in the future. Tuna - Eel Facts! General ACTIVITIES, CRAFTS, GAMES AND QUIZZES Throughout this page you'll find some fun activities and resources you can explore at home with your whānau and friends. Some of these resources have been put together with the help of our fantastic local organisations. A huge thank you to those people who have helped put these together for us, we appreciate your support! Don't forget to share your activities with us, either tag us on social media or email them to us at conservationkids@envirohub.co.nz Story by Basil Keane Main image: ‘Catching the legendary eel at Tangahoe’ The Māori word Tuna means eel, to Māori people tuna once was a vital food source. Māori would build weirs or hīnaki – eel pots to capture the tuna. Then the tuna would be wrapped in leaves to cook on a fire. Many Māori still capture tuna using traditional methods today. Tuna Eel Facts! Te Ao Maori Art - Make an Eel Awareness P oster Eel Awareness Poster Have a go at making a T una/Eel Awareness Poster! Spread the word on protecting our eels. Get creative making an eel awareness poster with a special message on how to protect our local eels. You could add a fun slogan like - "Be aware eels live here." "Plant the banks, the eels say thanks." "Keep it clear, eels migrate here." "Coming through! Make way for the eels!" See what other fun slogans you can come up with, add some great colour and see where you can display your poster around your neighborhood. Don't forget to share your poster with us, email us an image - conservationkids@envirohub.co.nz Click the image to watch the video! How to Draw a Tuna / Eel Check out this video on how to draw a NZ Longfin Eel by Auckland Zoo! Why not have a go at drawing your own eel - make sure you share your drawing with us! We would love to see it. Tuna - Eel Facts! Ecology & Diet Eels like to eat live food, when they are smaller they will snack on worms, insect larvae, and even snails found in the water. As they grow and get bigger, they will eat small fish, freshwater crayfish and even ducklings! Image Credit - chameleonseye CRAFT - Tuna / Eel Puppet Make a Tuna/Eel Puppet Have fun making your own eel finger puppet, give your puppet its own unique look. You can take your eel puppet on the great eel migration game with you. Click the image to download the PDF sheet! Image Creator: Antonia O'Donnell Eels can be found all throughout NZ in the rivers, lakes and wetlands across the country. Young Elver eels are great climbers and will make their way up waterfalls, creeks and even through dams to find a place to settle. You will often spot eels poking their heads out of cracks and holes in river banks. Tuna - Eel Facts! Habitat Tuna / Eel GAMES Grab some of your friends or whānau and have a go at these fun Tuna/Eel games and activites. Great Tuna/Eel Migration Tuna/Eel make a great migration only twice in their life, learn about this migration and have fun migrating as eels yourself. There are 3 parts to this rawe | awesome game. Click on the image to download the instructions and resources needed to play . If you give this game a go with your class or some friends take a pic or video and share it with us! Fun tip - make the eel puppet first and take it on a migration. Tuna - Eel Facts! Breeding Did you know that eels only breed once in their lifetime!! Eels migrate to Tonga at the end of their life to breed. When an eel is reaching the end of their life, they will make their way to the warm Pacific Ocean where they will lay millions of eggs in one go ready for the male eel to fertilise. Image Credit - NIWA ACTIVITY - Tuna / Eel Facts Tuna/Eel Facts Test your knowledge, how many t una/eel facts can you answer? you might have to do some research to answer all the questions - good luck! Click the image to download the quiz! Click the eel to download the answers. Did you know that our long fin eels can live up to 100yrs old!! Wow that is old!! The short fin eel lives up to about 60yrs old. Some of the long fin eels you can see at Lake Rotoiti are over 100yrs old!! They are so big! - Have you been to visit them? Tuna - Eel Facts! Crazy Facts! Image Credit - Antonia O'Donnell Other Tuna / NZ Eel Resources Below you will find links to other Tuna/Eel resources, click the images to take you to the websites. Check them out! Tamariki for Tuna Resources by Conservation Volunteers NZ. Department of Conservation Information on the website regarding eels . Science Learning Hub Great reading and resources on the Science learning hub for tamariki. DOC - Toyota Kiwi Guardian Activity Help look after the Tuna/Eels by becoming a water champion! Although the Toyota Kiwi Guardian programme has now f inished and you can no longer claim the medals. The acti vities are still a fantastic way for your tamariki to help support conservation efforts and help our native species. Below is a link to the "Water Champion" activity! Help to clean up a water way or coastline near you. Then take action to help protect it. Click the image to download a PDF Instruction sheet to learn how to become a Water Champion! Tuna - Eel Facts! Threats The longfin eel is endemic to NZ, meaning it can only be found here in Aotearoa and nowhere else in the world. It is also classed at 'At Risk - Declining', which means we need to help protect them!! So, what is putting our Longfin eel at risk? Humans are the biggest threat to the long fin eel, human activities such as pollution, the building of dams, taking away vegetation near their habitats, and overfishing have had detrimental impacts on our endangered tuna. So what can we do to help? Read below to find out!! Image Credit - Otago Muesum Image Credit - Antonia O'Donnell How can you help out Tuna / Longfin Eel? There are lots of ways you can help our longfin eels to survive! - Avoid catching them. If you catch one in your hīnaki then be sure to set it free unharmed. - Fence streams on your property to keep animals and livestock out. - Plant trees or shrubs on banks of streams to help create shade and hiding spots for tuna. - Don't let pollution in to the waterways. - Help with rubbish clean ups around our waterways. Why not see what planting projects are happening in your community? Head along and lend a helping hand! Tuna - Eel Facts! What YOU can do! Visit a Tuna / Eel Why not check out a stream near you and see if there are eels living there? Head on down and look around the banks to see if you can spot an eel poking out to say hello. Lake Rotoiti - Nelson Lakes You can see some really neat Longfin eels at Lake Rotoiti | Nelson lakes - check out this cool video of the eels by Abel Tasman Eco Tours. Why not head there yourself to check them out. Click here to find out about Lake Rotoiti You can even check out the weather on their webcam before you go. Pollard Park - Blenheim If you live in Blenheim you can head to Pollard Park and spot some eels in the streams and ponds - Just remember to leave them be and don't touch them. Click here to find out more about Pollard Park. Lochmara Lodge - Marlborough Sounds Lochmara Lodge have a couple of amazing resident Longfin eels. If you want to check out the eels and some other neat wildlife, head on over to their website to plan your trip. Click on the logo to head to their website! Tuna / Eel Gallery Images from some of our Tuna / Eel events 2023 Tuna Eel Day Event

  • Building Weta Motels

    Pelorus June 2019 We built Weta Motels to hang up at the Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve We had a lot of fun one night building weta motels as a group to hang up at the Pelorus Bridge Scenic reserve. The kids all got in to groups and helped out making Weta motels, the finished product looked amazing. Then we bundled up and went for a walk to have a look up in the Weta tree in the dark to see if we could spot some Cave wetas. What a fantastic night. Building Weta Motels

  • Branford Park

    Pelorus Jan 2019 Exploring Branford park the Edible walk As a group we went to explore Branford Park in Nelson, full of fruit and nut trees. The kids had a scavenger hunt to do along the way and we finished up with a picnic lunch in the shade. Branford Park

  • Visiting the Koru Wildlife Centre

    Pelorus April 2020 We went to learn all about the NZ Giant Weta at the Koru Wildlife Centre The kids were very lucky to go and learn all about the Giant weta and NZ's very own parrot at the Koro Wild Life Center in Link Water. They got to see some awesome animals up close and test out the centers new microscope room to look at some bugs and things up close and personal. Such a fantastic facility right in our own backyard. Visiting the Koru Wildlife Centre

  • World Albatross Day

    Pelorus June 2020 On June 19th 2020 we celebrated the first ever World Albatross day Our fantastic group of kids had fun learning all about the amazing and wonderful albatross. They learnt about how big its wing span can be and what its biggest threat is. They all then had fun making albatross mask's and drawing their own albatross. We put all of their drawings on a big poster to say thank you to HookPod - a company that is dedicated to helping protect the albatross from been caught on long line fishing. It was great fun and well done kids for all your cool pictures and masks. World Albatross Day

  • Kakapo Day

    Pelorus Aug 2019 We learnt all about the Kakapo and then did a fundraiser to adopt one. We learnt all about the NZ Kakapo as a group, we played a game to help demonstrate the kakapos predators in the wild. Then we decorated stones like Kakapo and sold them of donation which we put towards adopting our very own Kakapo. Kakapo Day

  • Conservation | Envirohub Marlborough | New Zealand

    Envirohub Marlborough unites, inspires and assists their community to achieve their environmental goals! Kia ora & Welcome to Envirohub Marlborough! An environmental charity that unites, inspires and assists the Marlborough community to achieve their environmental goals. Conservation Kids NZ S.O.S. Programme Check out the events and online resources for our Save the Species programme. Each month we concentrate on a species or habitat. If you can't make it to an event, no worries! You'll find all you need right here! Ocean Health Envirohub Marlborough works alongside Sustainable Coastlines to help run Litter Intelligence sites around Marlborough. Want to be a part of this national citizen science project? Click to find out more. Zero Waste Services & Dishwashing Trailer Be a part of the solution! Everything from inspiration to what we can do to help your next event be Zero Waste. See our full range of Zero Waste services, including our NEW Zero Waste Dishwashing Trailer! Community Directory Need to find your closest Environmental organisation, service or recycling station? Click on our directory for everything conservation, sustainability, recycling, op-shops, ethical retail, bulk food stores and so much more! Waitohi Picton Community Garden Watch the progress of our Waitohi Picton Community Garden project as it starts to take shape. Want to be involved? Click here to find out more! Earth-friendly Products Did you know we sell Earth-Friendly Retail products? Choose to re-use and support Envirohub Marlborough all at the same time! We are located at the Picton Environment Centre - 14 Auckland Street, Picton! Our Mission Our Goal, Vision & Commitment Our Events Unite, Be Inspired & Take Action! Get Involved Volunteer, Participate, or Donate What's On 33 days to the event Explore Nature at Momorangi Bay! Sat, 21 Mar Momorangi Bay, Marlborough 7281, New Zealand Nau mai, haere mai! Bring the whole whānau along for this FREE family fun day! Join us as we celebrate and explore the many habitats of Momorangi Bay! No bookings necessary. Learn more Latest News Want to receive our latest newsletter? Subscribe Thanks for your interest and we will be in touch! Contact Us Currently on the move. New premises in 2026! PO Box 10 Waikawa Bay, Picton 7251 info@envirohub.co.nz Proudly Supported by..

  • Dishwashing Trailer FAQ's / Envirohub Marlborough

    Frequently Asked Questions about the Zero Waste Dishwashing Trailer Zero Waste Dishwashing Trailer Frequently Asked Questions ! Widget Didn’t Load Check your internet and refresh this page. If that doesn’t work, contact us. Interested in learning more about organizing a Zero Waste Event? Want to book our Zero Waste Dishwashing Trailer and Recycling Stations for your event? Email zerowaste@envirohub.co.nz

  • Making Tracking Tunnels and Lizard Lounges

    Pelorus April 2019 Our kids had a hand at making Pest tracking tunnels and Lizard Lounges. We did a recycle project using old marketing display boards to have a go at making Pest tracking tunnels and Lizard lounges. The kids all made a tracking tunnel each, complete with paper, ink and peanut butter to attract the pests. Then they each made a lizard lounge to help attract lizards to their gardens, they filled them with lots of bits from nature for the lizards to explore. They even included some big rocks for lizards to sunbath on. The kids had a blast. Making Tracking Tunnels and Lizard Lounges

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