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Could we get 140 lucky kids out and about near the Whau River and keep them engaged all day with fun and educational activities? Could we foster connections between the kids and their local river? This was the kaupapa for our first Splashy Bikers Day.
The main billing of the day was, of course, biking and kayaking. Bike Avondale managed the pump track for the adventurous and there was a flat loop ride around the park for the more cautious or those learning to ride. To mix it up a bit, Ecomatters brought along trick bikes including one that only went forwards if you biked backwards which bamboozled more than one kid.
Thank you to our special guests Drowning Prevention for showing kids how to wear lifejackets safely and for sharing tricks about staying afloat in water. We know the kids appreciated it although their families probably would like to say thank you too! Kids then launched in double kayaks to go on a Whau River adventure.
One of the special moments of the day was seeing kids on land waving to kids in kayaks, with their positions later reversed as they moved on to the next activity. There’s more than one way to see things and more than one way to appreciate the fabulous Whau River.
A surprise hit at our nature and science stations were the binoculars, a great way to develop observation skills and let kids see detail and colour of bird feathers from afar. Also useful for introducing ideas of bird species, habitats and behaviours (or for spotting friends on the Rata Street Bridge). Another way we encouraged kids to appreciate their local environment was with magnifiers, useful for examining bugs and small plants in detail – or your friend’s hair!
Kids were introduced to the basics of Plant identification and the app iNaturalist. iNaturalist is a powerful tool that supports kaitiakitanga and citizen science by helping people share photos and observations of local plants, animals, and other organisms while also contributing valuable data to scientific research and conservation efforts. You can download it for free.
The water quality of the Whau Catchment Area is a central concern for Te Whau Pathway Project. Whitebait Connection shared their expertise with the kids, in monitoring water quality and how they catch invertebrates like inanga to get an indication of a waterway’s health. Seeing water and all its inhabitants up close for the first time was fascinating!
The West End Rowing Club brought their rowing machines and taught kids how to use them and shared how they are used in training. Their station had bursts of cheering and excitement as the kids raced against each other.
Creative kids could contribute to the artwork “He Iti Kahurangi” by the talented Eva Fuemana by painting designs on the amenities block at Archibald Park.
The Sea Cleaners came up the Whau Estuary in their boat the day before and did a clean-up of the rubbish in waterways around Archibald Park. They returned the next day for Splashy Bikers with almost an entire boat full of rubbish to show the kids what they had found (but shouldn’t have).
Did we meet our kaupapa? We think we did! Check out our highlights video and our photo gallery from Splashy Bikers Day 2024!
What’s next?
Te Whau Pathway Project would like to do another Splashy Bikers Nature Day in 2025. Who’s in?!
Highlights video
Photo gallery
About this event
| Date | Friday 1st March 2023 |
| Location | Archibald Park, Kelston |
| Type | Awa Connection Day, Nature Day |
| Who | Auckland Council (Park Rangers and Sustainable Schools), Auckland Sea Kayaks, Bike Avondale, Crank, Drowning Prevention, Ecomatters, Sea Cleaners, Te Whau Pathway Environment Trust, Waitematā Māori Wardens, West End Rowing Club, Whau River Catchment Trust, Whau the People, White Bait Connection. |
| Schools | Glendene School, Glen Eden Primary School, Kelston Boys’ High School, Kelston Intermediate School, Tirimoana School |
| Funders | The Trusts and the Whau Local Board |
