Learning about our past and protecting our future...

 Learning about our past and protecting our future...

In the past few weeks Te Kinga have had the absolute privilege of having our whānau come and teach us about two different topics. 

A few weeks ago Kevin came in to talk to us about early times at Moana and the experiences he had growing up in the area (including being a pupil at Lake Brunner School!). One of the most interesting facts the students learnt was how many saw mills were once in the area, and how the saw mills used the lake as a saw-dust dump! Kevin recalled swimming in the lake with a big layer of sawdust on the bottom - it was very hard to imagine doing that now!

Early times at Lake Brunner

We also found out that logs were taken across the lake before the railway was built - this explained the tracks we found in the lake on our day out to Mount Te Kinga. 

Lake Brunner School opening in 1959

Keeping track of our waterways with Mike...

Mike works for NIWA. Part of his job is to measure the water levels in the lake, plus check the clarity and quality of the water on a regular basis. He also has to check rocks for film, algae and nasty things like didymo! Times, as we discovered have changed, because now people are people are more concerned with keeping our waterways as healthy as possible for future generations. The students we able to use the measuring instruments and record the results! After working with Mike we went on a 'critter hunt' in a pond adjacent to the beach of the Arnold.