Use this while on your ZEALANDIA visit!

This booklet contains some helpful talking points about the senses you can explore while walking through Zealandia, and how our endemic (found nowhere else in the world) and native species can experience senses differently to people. Alongside this sensory information are some quick activities you can carry out with your students.

This topic is all about exploring our senses, so don’t be afraid to pick up leaves that have fallen on the ground, touch the flora around you and smell the flowers – just don’t take anything out with you!

Kia pai te haere!

© ZEALANDIA 2020 The first part of each page has some quick facts about each plant or animal that you can share with the students in your group.

This section will tell you where you can find the plant/animal in the sanctuary.

Next, the key parts of each plant or animal are noted down.

This will help you to identify them while on your trip!

This next section of text will describe the activities that you can do with your students in this area, or that are focused around the specific plant/animal. They will be physical activities, or suggestions of a printable activity sheet you can do.

This section gives a warning if needed about careful interaction with the plant/animal, to keep students safe.

This section lets you know how you can explore senses with the plant/animal without harming them. Like the tuatara, wētā have also been around since the time of the Tōtara are one of our tallest trees. The wood of tōtara is durable but dinosaurs. can be readily shaped, so it was used by Māori for building waka and creating carvings. Wētā have paddle-like structures called palps around their jaws, which allow them to taste and smell their environment. This means that they “Tara” means peak or point. Here, it refers to the pointy leaves of the can taste their food before they eat it. tree. Male wētā have large jaws, while females have what looks like a large A tōtara can be found on the Round Lawn, not far into the sanctuary. stinger. It is called an ovipositor and used to lay eggs.

Tree wētā can be found in the specially designed motels on the main paths. Small, sharp, narrow leaves Leaves range from green to brown in colour The eardrums of a wētā are on their front legs, below their knees!

Small, red fruits are produced in spring

Can the students think of anything else with ‘tara’ in the name that would also mean peaks or point? I.e the tuatara means ‘peaks on the Female wētā have a ovipositor that looks back’, tarakihi gets its name from its spiky fins. You can get the like a stinger, but the males do not students to do their microhike activity sheet here.

Can the students spot the eardrums of the wētā? Why do they think they are in that position? Have they spotted a male or a female? The Tōtara requires careful touching from the students, as the older growth can be quite sharp. students can also fill in their wētā activity sheet here.

Wētā are noctural and dislike bright light, so try to keep Stick insects (rō) like to hide among the leaves, the time you have their motel doors open to a minimum. try not to disturb them if you see any! Rangiora plants are also called “bushman’s friend”, as they can be used Takahē were once thought to be extinct, but were rediscovered in as toilet paper if caught short! Fiordland in 1948!

Māori used rangiora as a bandage to soak up blood from wounds since Takahē have excellent eyesight, which would have helped them to it is soft and porous. detect their natural predators. This would give takahē time to tuck their bright red beak away or hide under tussock. Their feathers act as Rangiora can be found along the Lake Road, especially near the camouflage that helps them to blend into their surroundings. entrance to the valley.

The takahē at Zealandia are generally found in the Wetlands Area, Large, soft leaves with near the pontoon. ragged edges Leaves are dull green on top, with obvious veins

So rotund that sometimes they look perfectly circular Large, strong red beak

Leaf undersides are white and have a velvety texure Iridescent dark blue feathers on head, Can the students describe what rangiora leaves feel like? What about colourful green and blue describing the difference in texture of the top and underside of the feathers on body plant?

What does rangiora feel like in comparison to tōtara? Can you observe and then mimic the way a takahē walks? The students can also fill in their takahē activity sheet here.

Rangiora requires a careful touch, as any sap from the plant is poisonous. Avoid ripping or tearing leaves. Seeing the takahē can be very exciting, just make sure the students keep their distance and use inside voices as not to cause the animals unnecessary stress. Gently touch the leaves of the plant — this is healthy for your students and prevents damage to the plant. Tuatara have existed since the time of the dinosaurs. The spines that The holes in kawakawa leaves are caused by the looper moth run down their backs help give them their name (like the tōtara, tara = caterpillar, which is one of the only insects that can tolerate the toxins spike or peak). in the leaves (which are poisonous to most insects but safe for humans). The colourful beads on the spines of the larger tuatara help to tell different individuals apart. Kawakawa has religious, cultural and medicinal importance to Māori. Leaves can be chewed to relieve toothache, or used externally to treat Tuatara have a third eye, called a parietal eye, on the top of their skull. bruises and nettle stings. It helps them to sense light, which tells them the time of day and what season it is. Found all along the Lake Road in the sanctuary, especially Found in the Tuatara Research Area, often marked by magnetic signs. near the main entrance. Keep an eye out for juveniles in the onduline lizard houses!

Heart-shaped palm- Parietal eye is more visible sized leaves Fruiting spikes change in juveniles The parietal eye is seen as a from green to orange in darker patch of skin on top of summer the head

It becomes covered in scales in adults, but still functions Leaves often have holes chewed in them

Can the students imagine if they had an eye on the top of their head Can the students guess what makes the holes in the leaves? Have any that helped them tell the time? The students can also fill in their tuatara of them tried kawakawa tea at home? activity sheet here. Gently touch the leaves of the plant — While tuatara are so still they might look fake, all tuatara in this prevents damage to the plant. ZEALANDIA are alive and well! Use the steps along the path to help students take turns to see the tuatara, to avoid them climbing on the fence. Too many loud noises will scare the Kawakawa plants are edible, but we advise against tuatara back into their burrows. trying this and any other leaves in the sanctuary. Tarata plants are great for exploring our sense of smell. The serrated edges of the leaves are what gives this plant its name - named after the teeth of the mako shark! Sniff the plant – what can you smell? Then, crush one of the leaves slightly and smell this. The leaves emit a lemon-like smell that Māori Leaves are used by Māori to treat burns, infected wounds and sore used as perfume. eyes, while early European settlers used the berries to make wine.

Found along the edges of Lake Road, especially near the entrance and These plants grow along the Lake Road, but a good place to see past the Round Lawn. them is just before Birdsong Gully.

Prominent light vein down Leaves look sharp and the middle of each leaf Oval-shaped leaves with Older leaves have a serrated, but feel soft crinkled edges red underside

Produces pink and white Produces sweet-smelling flowers flowers from September in October-December to December

Get the students to think about adjectives to describe the look, feel Get the students to touch the plant and think about what gives and smell of this plant. How does it compare with other plants you makomako its name. have explored throughout the sanctuary? Can they fill out an activity sheet by drawing a makomako plant?

Keeping the health of tarata in mind, we don’t want to be stripping them of all their leaves! Gently touch the leaves of the plant — this prevents damage to the plant. Either crush a leaf slightly while it is on the tree and let everyone smell it. Makomako berries are edible, but we advise against trying this and any other berries in the sanctuary.