Last Thursday the Senior Kiwiana group went to the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre.

It was a very wet and wild Thursday but that didn't dampen our excitement as we arrived in our car convey ready to explore the aquarium.

For some students it was their first time and for others a friendly return to a loved place. 

As we walked through the doors we were hit by the well known salty fishy smell of the ocean, this added to our already building excitement. 

The first part of our day involved learning about the skills needed to be a scientist. Being able to observe, classify and group creatures is very important. We then trialed our own skills by having to group a range of live creatures into only 3 categories. After many discussions we successfully grouped the sea creatures into Echinoderms, Crustaceans and Mollusc. 

After lunch we visited the tanks around the foyer of the marine centre. We saw 2 very grumpy octopuses, 1 very frightened crab and learned some amazing facts about sea horses, octopus and barnacles. 

Did you know male sea horses give birth to live young? 

Did you know octopus only eat the soft parts of their prey as their stomach is right next to their brain?  Sharp objects may damage the brain. Now that would be a real headache!

Did you know barnacles have little legs that pop out when feeding? 

Did you know the correct name for a starfish is a sea star because it's not a fish?

Our final exploration was what we had all been waiting for... the touch tanks! This was such a special experience being able to hold and touch some pretty cool creatures. 

Thank you to Shelley from Otago University for this wonderful opportunity.