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COROMANDEL LIFE
SUMMER 2014
Why did you choose geckos for
the science fair?
They are native to NZ, and we
have skinks all around our school.
It interested us, so we wanted to
give it a go. We had a visit from
a herpetologist early in the year.
They bought some geckos to
show us, and we got to hold them
and touch them. It was amazing
and felt awesome to touch a real-
life, proper gecko. They are really
special to NZ, and we have lots of
them in the Coromandel.
We wanted to find out how they survive, what they do and all about them.
We wanted to learn more about our NZ wildlife.
We think people need to know that NZ geckos are endangered, and we
don’t want them to be gone out of our country. People should try and
make places in their gardens (like wire with little holes) for geckos that are
safe, so predators stay out but geckos go in. Geckos eat moths, flies and
nectar from some flowers so we would need these in the gardens too.
People need to keep trapping those predators so we have more geckos
and so no more endangered animals need to die.
Nurturing a Community of Lifelong Learners
Te Rerenga, a rural school situated on the Coromandel near
Whangapoua Beach, has 3 classrooms and a school roll of 59
amazing students that come from Coromandel Town, Te Rerenga,
Whangapoua, Kuaotunu and Whitianga.
From Principal Anna Yates...
Science was a learning focus for our school this year, holding our first
science fair as a celebration. All students worked in groups and kept
a journal showing their investigation. Science will remain a huge focus
in 2014, and we will seek ways to make a difference in our environment.
Here, students from the middle class – Theo Kington (Y3, 7yrs), Beth
Simpson (Y4, 9yrs) and Alexis Sloss (Y3, 7yrs) ) – share about their
gecko science experience:
Te Rerenga students put on a
science fair, here sharing a display
about explosions.
Drawing by
Theo Kington
We found out that
New Zealand geckos:
• Make a chirping sound like a dog bark
• Can change colour for camouflage
• When they give birth they almost always have twins
• There are at least 39 species of skinks and geckos in NZ
• Geckos have broad heads and bulging eyes and velvety skin and small granular
scales. Skinks have more slender, thinner, shinier eyes, heads and scales.
• Are endangered because predators like rats, possums, stoats, fish, dogs, birds and
cats eat them.
• When a predator comes to eat them, the gecko drops its tail and runs, and the tail
keeps moving so the predator eats that. After about 2 months their tail grows back!
Skinks and geckos can both lose their tails and grow them back
• Geckos give birth to live young in NZ but in other countries (except for New Caledonia),
geckos lay eggs.
See more at
A
lmost two years ago flying enthusiast Jim Evans proposed
what amounts to the most challenging project any student
might undertake – building an airplane, from scratch.
Experienced mentors would donate their time, and a hanger
would be made available at the Whitianga Airport. Principal
John Wright agreed, and the kit of the VANZ RV2 was ordered.
Students applied to be in the programme, and the plane was ‘off
and flying’.
Well, not exactly. The complex and demanding project took
almost two years to get off the ground. The students had to
learn how to read engineering plans, how to use riveters and
other metalwork and fibreglass tools, how to maintain a pristine
work environment and, most perplexing, how to decipher that
perplexing imperial measuring system used in the USA. Inches?
1/64th inch!?
Yet, those in the weekly workshop mastered the necessary
skills and assembled the two-seater to perfection. On Friday 8
November, the sturdy plane, registered ZK-MBA (and painted
school colours) took off on its maiden flight with Paul Coubray
at the controls, as dozens of team members, mentors, and
supporters cheered.
Team members included Cody Bennett, Hayley Betteridge, Shaun
Hall, Karl Mehaney, Tyler Relph, Jacob Sanders, Harry Vowles,
Jake Vowles and Casey Wakelin; teacher mentors Karlos Bosson
and Chris Cawley; and aviation/engineer mentors Jim Evans,
Charles Russell, Brian Yelland, Bob Walters, Tony Turner and
Peter Austin.
MERCURY BAY
Students
meet
sky high
expectations
Students, mentors, and teachers pose proudly with the two-
seater airplane they built from scratch. Jim Evans, kneeling
centre, led the lengthy project. Photos (right) are screen shots
from TV report by Seven Sharp. (See viewing details below.)
TE REReNGA
SCHOOL
...
‘LEARNING,
IT’S WHAT WE DO…’
