The tamariki/children of Te Hoiere are a talented bunch.
When our education services coordinator Sarah Huntley put the call out for poems from schools in the catchment for a competition recently about the NZ Bug of the Year she got a fantastic response.
It just so happens that peripatus (also known as ngaokeoke/NZ velvet worm) is found in Te Hoiere/Pelorus. Peripatus are a true living fossil and remnant of Gondwana. The invertebrate looks a bit like a caterpillar with pairs of stumpy legs along the length of its body. They date back 540 million years - that's before the tuatara and the dinosaur.
Te Hoiere Trust co-chairs Waihaere Mason and Barbara Faulls helped choose the winners. What a tough job!
The winners were:
Junior – Emiko (Linkwater School) and Johnny (Havelock School)
Senior – Kea (Havelock School) and Dean (Havelock School)
Sarah also ran an impromptu exhibition at Pelorus Bridge to showcase all the amazing poems entered and as part of this the public were able to vote for their favourite below.
People’s Choice Winner – Delta (Linkwater School)
Peripatus, you are famous in Te Hoiere/Pelorus!
