Miri Kirihimete

Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me te Tau Hou from the Puke Ariki education team!

Hoani and Keri practice their Christmas cheer. (We think they're ready for a holiday!)

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season - we look forward to working with you in 2012.

2012 programme highlights

As the school year comes to an end, we thought it a good time to remind you of the fantastic LEOTC programmes available at Puke Ariki and Aotea Utanganui in 2012.

Don't forget you can book online - it takes 2-3 minutes and we'll email you to confirm. Easy as that!

Some of our Term 1 highlights are:

Anne Frank - A History for Today: a touring exhibition of the story of Anne Frank and the Holocaust. This is a self-guided lesson only (with excellent online resources) but we request you book with us to avoid clashes with other groups.

Treasures of the Sea: discover what's unique about a variety of New Zealand sea creatures, including the whale, shark, octopus and starfish. A great complement to your Seaweek studies (3-11 March).

Treasures of the Sea: Term 1 at Puke Ariki

Words in Wood: Discover the stories of our ancestors through the carvings and tukutuku panels of Aotea Utanganui.

Mounga Taranaki: students will discover the historic significance of Mount Taranaki, how volcanic activity created the mountain and how its natural resources have been used.

Check out the rest of our 2012 programmes here. We look forward to seeing you in 2012!

Mutunga: our legacy, our challenge, our future

Mutunga: our legacy, our challenge, our future is the new exhibition at Puke Ariki. Mutunga tells a story of the North Taranaki iwi, Ngāti Mutunga, who have maintained their iwi through war, mass migration, land confiscation and wholesale changes to their world.

This exhibition brings together, for the first time, a collection of historical and contemporary taonga, manuscripts, paintings and artworks that help tell the story of the people. Walk into a world seen through Ngāti Mutunga eyes - a world largely inaccessible to those without tribal connections.

We're offering an education programme for Mutunga in Term 1 next year, This is an excellent opportunity for students to learn about the long and proud history of this Taranaki iwi.  Book your class online or contact us for further details.

The Milky Bar...Snail?!

Our Slimy and Legless education programme was very popular this term. Feedback from teachers and students tells us kids loved the opportunity to discover more about the Taranaki giant Powelliphanta snail, but especially enjoyed getting up close and watching a garden snail move about. They now see these amazing creatures in a whole new light - that's just what we love to hear!

Our final Slimy and Legless lesson for 2011 was held yesterday at Puke Ariki. It coincided perfectly with this discovery of an albino Powelliphanta in the Kahurangi National Park. Check it out - doesn't it look amazing?

Photo: Maria Brooks via www.stuff.co.nz