Our first stop was at Whangateau where we met Samara and Greg from Experiencing Marine Reserves. EMR encourage classes to visit and snorkel in our marine reserves, to find out more about what they do check out their website http://www.emr.org.nz/ but for us it meant we got to go snorkelling. Whangateau is an estuary and so we looked around some mangroves. They look like asparagus growing under the sea. There were also cockles, oysters, and closer to the channel there were large Neptunes Necklace, some jellyfish and fish. After lunch we snorkelled at Goat Island in the Leigh Marine Reserve. Samara said later that it was a less than an average day. We learnt lots though and saw good healthy kelp as well as snapper, john dory, and other fish. From there we went to where we were staying and Samara gave us a presentation about EMR. It really was great day and we experienced science in action as well as ideas of how we can put it into action.
Tuesday saw us spend the day with Rebecca Goffin. She is the manager of the Auckland University Information Centre at Leigh Marine Reserve. We had a tour of the facility and discussed the nature science for the day and how it might apply to a visit to the centre, or in a wider range of settings. It was an excellent day and we learnt a lot, and have a lot to reflect on. For more of what they do there visit http://www.marine.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/. After that we visited two teachers in Warkworth who have had fellowships or about to have. It is good to network with other teachers.
Wednesday we visied Tawharanui. We took part in an ecology walk that took us along the beach and then up through a manuka area, over farmland and then down through native bush. Rita has been working in this type of environment and so she was able to tell us a lot about the birds and the bush. Again it was a case of seeing science in action and things we could do.
Thursday we headed back into Auckland and visited Hohepa, another teacher fellow at Unitec. He showed us what he is up too with inscets and pit traps. We also talked to Glenys, an awarded teacher fellow, working with lichens. That night we went to Patsy's and had a delicious BBQ and met up with a lot of the other teacher fellows from Auckland.
Friday we went to visit Patsy at The Liggins Institute. Again it was really good to see what other teacher fellows are up to. She is doing some genetic experiments with vinegar flies. Easy to do in a classroom setting too. There were a lot of science posters a way of presenting science information. This is something we had seen at Leigh and at Unitec and a good idea for taking back to school for presenting information.
All in all a great week, I learnt a lot and there is a lot to take in that I will reflect on and will come out in some way over the next few weeks.
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