St Pius X kids see fur seals up close at port
Children who studied marine reserves got to see fur seals in the flesh during a VIP guided tour of Port Taranaki’s operational area.
Over two days, 60 ST Pius X Primary School pupils visited the Mikotahi Rock fur seal colony in small groups as part of an activity packed port excursion earlier this month.
A highlight for the kids was attempting to spot the cute sea mammals camouflaged among the rocks. When they did, their ‘‘ooh’s and ahh’s’’ said it all.
‘‘It was very exciting, they were funny and really cute,’’ said Isaac Lamb, 9.
Part of the field trip also included looking at little blue penguins via live webcam footage on the big screen at Chaddy’s Charters and an underworld presentation at New Plymouth’s marine information centre.
In a small shuttle convoy the kids were guided around the sea side of the port, often unseen by the general public, by Fred King.
King’s wealth of knowledge was evident by his riveting wildlife trivia and quick retorts to questions from the inquisitive young minds.
‘‘This is like my back yard, I’ve always been fascinated with wildlife. When I’ve spotted a rare bird I’ll jump on the internet and try to identify what I’ve seen,’’ King said.
The general consensus was that the seals were adorable, but the penguins were a smidgen cuter.
‘‘It was fascinating at Chaddy’s. We got to see footage from live webcam of the penguins nesting boxes around the port area,’’ teacher Tracey Drought said.
The field trip was spawned from the student’s participation in the Experiencing Marines Reserves (EMR) programme last term, which was supported by a number of environmental entities including the Nga Motu Marine Reserve Society and the Department of Conservation.
It was a chance for students to see up-close some of the wildlife they learned about, Drought said.
As part of the EMR school project Year Five and Six students explored marine reserves and the role they play in the ecosystem.
EMR involved a mix of classroom and rocky shore study, that included students taking to the water and learning to snorkel, before devising their own action project.