To encourage our Year 6 tamariki to make connections with their local environment and in particular the school pepeha, we did a hikoi (walk) to Mt Titirangi (Atkinson) on Tuesday 17th March.  Each kaiako (teacher) spoke about a different aspect of the pepeha and our tamariki heard about the maunga (Mt Titirangi/Atkinson), moana (Manukau Harbour), ngahere (forest), manga (Waikumete Stream) and our local iwi (Te Kawerau a Maki).  Our tamariki especially enjoyed hearing about the myth of Tiriwa moving Rangitoto, the statue of Henry Atkinson losing his nose, the moving sand bars at the mouth of the Manakau Harbour (which has caused many shipwrecks), the history of Kaurilands School (and the teacher who sent students to the dairy to collect cigarettes) and the native flora and fauna of the Waitākere Ranges.