Kura visit WhakaRūamoko exhibit with scientists

On 4 November 2023, Beneath the Waves arranged a special event at Te Papa Museum in Wellington for Te Kura o te Pāroa to explore the exhibits with some of the scientist who helped design them. This opportunity arose because Te Kura o te Pāroa were returning to Whakatane through Wellington from Te Mana Kuratahi(external link), the national primary schools kapa haka competition in Nelson.

The guided exploration focused on WhakaRūamoko - the active land exhibit. The tauira were provided with a workbook to complete by visiting five stations, each representing a different aspect of WhakaRūamoko:

• Plate tectonics and the formation of Aotearoa NZ,
• Volcanoes,
• Earthquakes,
• Tsunamis, and
• Geothermal and Mātaurunga Māori.

At each station, the scientists helped the students interact with the exhibits, for example making a volcano erupt or creating a tsunami. Through interaction with the exhibits and questioning the scientists, the students could complete their workbooks and build on the knowledge they had learnt in the classroom and at an earlier Geocamp.

Even though the rangatahi were exhausted after their epic performances at the kapa haka competition, the scientists were amazed by their enthusiasm and curiosity. Dr Graham Leonard who was responsible for helping design many of the exhibits and has taken many schools through the museum commented, “this crew was amazing, such great energy, some future scientists in there for sure”.

The day was rounded off beautifully when the school performed a wonderful waiata, filling the exhibition space with meaning and emotion. This event is building relationships between Beneath the Waves and Te kura o te Pāroa for continued work together.