Tiritiri Matangi Trip

Tiritiri Matangi island is an open sanctuary, home to many endangered species. The Point England year 7 & 8 extension group recently received the chance to visit the island. We were extremely blessed as D.O.C (Department of Conservation) paid for the whole trip. I found the trip inspiring and very educational.

It was a cold Wednesday morning at precisely 07:30 AM. The yr 7 & 8 extension group waited patiently at school. Receiving my amazing new blue water bottle I was put into a groups. I then entered a shuttle bus which took us from school to Britomart. Once we arrived at Britomart we meet a little team from D.O.C and together waited to board the ferry.

As I stood at the back of the ferry, I admired the view while struggled to stand. We were heading for Tiritiri on a ferry. I loved standing on the deck of the ferry. I stood, staring at the sea becoming one with nature. Looking at the ocean the sun shone bright reflecting off the water. It was really windy, but I loved the view. At the time I had wished I was a dolphin, so I could dive into the water and swim rapidly to anywhere I liked.

Once we arrived on the island, we were greeted by a lovely group of people who worked for D.O.C. We got into our groups and began our tour/walk. Our group began by looking at the island map and had a short history lesson on the island. As we strolled up and down the track we were listening and looking out for different animals (mainly birds). Every time we heard a bird call our tour guide amazingly was able to name everyone. She was very good at her job, I could tell that she enjoyed working on the island and that she care for it as well.

Takahe  Pukeko

Our tour was over and we ate lunch. “I should be a photographer.” I said while flicking through the photos I took. After lunch we looked at the lighthouse and its history. Did you know that the Tiritiri Matangi lighthouse is the oldest working lighthouse in New Zealand? Also in WW2 it was used to spot the enemy boats. “Oh gosh, what is that?!” I screamed. I had unintentionally captured everyone's attention. As I looked down I saw a Takahe but I didn't know what it was. It was so close. As I freaked out I was deciding whether it was an overweight or maybe pregnant Pukeko.  I mean, look at the two images above this paragraph, they look similar yeah.

We began our scavenger hunt. I didn’t get the chance to complete it as I was busy playing with the microscope looking at different objects like sponges. Okay looking at sponges might sound boring, but it is actually very interesting. Sadly it was time to head back to the wharf to board the ferry and head back to Auckland. The fun day was over. Sad Emoji  but I had learnt a lot.

So in conclusion I had an amazing day on the island and learnt many things including the difference between a Pukeko and a Takahe. I would like to thank D.O.C for sponsoring this event, the parent helpers for coming along and our extension teacher. I loved the island.