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Shelley's Diaries for Project Crimson

Diary 3 - Thursday 22 October 2009

Field Trip Name: Project Crimson Field Trip Place: Gisborne, East Coast Diary: 3 of 4 Weather: Warm and sunny Where's Shelley: Heading north to

Kia ora everyone, Shelley here.

It was another beautiful day on the East Coast today. We started This is the garden that School made with the help of Project Crimson. The punga logs the day by wandering down to the local school. Wainui Beach represent waves. Image: Heurisko Ltd. School had invited us to come and see the work they had been doing on their very own garden.

In March 2008, the school was lucky enough to be awarded a Project Crimson ‘Treemendous Makeover’. This allowed them to create an amazing garden filled with native plants. The children and local community all worked together to create a garden that would survive the droughts that often occur in Gisborne.

They not only chose hardy coastal plants but they also wanted to create a garden that was useful to the local people. Many of the plants in the garden have medicinal properties and have labels so that people can find and collect plants of their choice. We were Ruud Kleinpaste answers questions during the audioconference. Image: Heurisko Ltd. particularly impressed with the health and size of the plants after such a short time. We spoke with some students about the garden and they all boasted about how much everyone used it.

It was then time to talk to Pamapuria School so we met with Ruud Kleinpaste. We had all been looking forward to meeting Ruud the famous ‘Bugman’ as seen on TV. Ruud told the students from Pamapuria School lots of great stories. Have a listen to his audioconference. Pam got such a buzz out of talking to her classmates and was clearly very proud of them. We also spoke to Mata School, which is a little school about 40 kilometres inland from Tokomaru Bay. They had never done an audioconference before and they had heaps of fun talking to Ruud. This pou stands tall above Marae. Image: Heurisko Ltd. We then said our farewells to Wainui Beach and headed up the coast to Whangara. We wanted to see the magical place in which the 2002 Oscar nominated movie ‘Whale Rider’ was filmed.

Whangara is located 30km north of Gisborne, and can be easy to miss. We drove past the turnoff and found ourselves in , nearly half an hour further north. We retraced our footsteps and finally arrived at Whangara, just in time for lunch.

Whangara belongs to the ancestral lands of the Ngati Porou. The cozy seaside settlement is built around the Marae made famous in the movie. Luckily the Marae has been well looked after and is This headland is shaped like a whale and makes protected from landslides by pōhutukawa. We met with Peter the legend of seem that much more Gibson, a local resident who has spent many years planting real. Image: Heurisko Ltd. pōhutukawa and other natives. Alvin wanted to know the legend of Paikea so Peter described it in a video.

1 of 3 We wanted to take a closer look at the pou that stands guard near the top of the hill above the Marae so Peter showed the way. It took us a while to get to the lookout as we were constantly stopping to admire pōhutukawa, karo, ngaio, totara and other native plants. Some of the larger pōhutukawa were 25 years old and already their canopy was providing great shade from the sun. It was heartening to think that in years to come this whole area will be covered in native plants. Peter is looking forward to seeing the hillside ablaze with crimson flowers in the summer. Looking north from Whangara. Image: Heurisko Tokomaru Bay was our final destination for the day so we Ltd. completed the 92km drive north from Gisborne. The area is renowned for its scenery, beaches and fishing and it was easy to see why when we caught our first glimpse of the bay.

The population of Tokomaru Bay is only about 350 people but we felt very welcome when we visited the local Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Tokomaru. The students had invited Mata School and they all enjoyed listening to Ruud Kleinpaste talking about pōhutukawa. The ‘Bugman’ lived up to his name when he introduced his pet wetas. Dorothy tried to escape, but then realized that the kids were friendly, so she walked across almost all of the brave kids outstretched hands. It was fantastic to meet We were lucky enough to see a few pōhutukawa such enthusiastic students who had been working on their own beginning to flower. Image: Heurisko Ltd. local gardens and conservation projects.

Some massive, old pōhutukawa trees grow in Tokomaru Bay and it got us thinking about how this tree works within its ecosystem. Ruud explained to us that these trees not only supply oxygen through photosynthesis but they are also home to many organisms and food for others. Bugs like the native weevil feed on the leaves, creating holes but they do not harm the tree (after all it would not be sensible to kill what you rely on to survive). Seabirds roost in the canopy and all sorts of bugs make themselves at home in the furrowed bark and sprawling root system. The Marae at Whangara. Can you see Paikea? Image: Heurisko Ltd. The pōhutukawa is known for its brilliant crimson flowers but these are not just for show as they attract pollinators like birds and insects to the tree. These pollinators are rewarded with nectar and honey. Honey is the ultimate reward from nature as it is has antibacterial properties and is used for medicinal purposes.

Tokomaru Bay is a pleasant place to live with hot summers and mild winters. However, with all the wind off the sea, salt spray and dry conditions, it is not an easy place for plants to grow. Pōhutukawa have adapted over thousands of years to survive in this harsh environment. Every part of the tree is designed to help it survive. The leaves are protected from drought by a waxy layer Ruud with his pet weta Dorothy at the local and soft white hairs underneath reduce moisture loss. The school. Image: Heurisko Ltd. tangled mass of roots can cling to cliff faces and the dense canopy of leaves eventually stops other plants from competing against it.

After talking to Ruud, it was obvious that everything in nature is interconnected. Everything relies on everything else, so it is important to look after all our plants and animals and do our best to restore our environment back to its natural state.

We will continue our journey north to tomorrow to find out why pōhutukawa are important to the local people. Check out

2 of 3 the map on the LEARNZ homepage to see where we are heading. Ruud talks to the students at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Tokomaru. Image: Heurisko Ltd. See you in the morning.

Shelley the LEARNZ Field Trip Teacher (and ambassadors; Pam and Alvin)

Shelley and Ruud take a closer look at a very old pōhutukawa tree. Image: Heurisko Ltd.

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