In the last week of Term 2, the Senior School celebrated their learning about Planet Earth and Space by staying the night at the Hamilton Observatory to learn more about our solar system and have a closer look at the night sky. This was followed by a morning at the Zoo.

A highlight of the trip was looking closely at the moon and seeing its craters. One group got to see Jupiter and two of its moons. Other groups identified the constellation of Maui’s hook in the night sky. Unfortunately due to weather and light pollution, we were unable to see the Matariki star cluster. Our host for the night was very impressed with the level of knowledge our tamariki had and the depth of questions that they asked.

After a night's sleep, the children walked over to the Waiwhakereke Reserve to learn about the native bush restoration that the zoo is working on. Over many years our students have helped by planting tree on this reserve to celebrate Arbour Day. We learnt about kawakawa and how this is used in rōngoa (traditional Māori medicine).

We then had a one-hour lesson with the Zoo education officer who taught us all about the purpose of the zoo. He showed us how they hide the animals' food inside different toys they make from old fire hoses. This helps to keep the animals entertained. He showed us inside the animal food preparation area and explained some of the key features of the animals in the zoo.

We would like to thank all the parents that were able to support us on this trip.