Puketoki Reserve 22nd March 2018

​Eel and minnow traps were set up by Wild about NZ the afternoon before. When we arrived on the 22nd we discovered a caught eel. It was carefully placed it in a large container with water so we could get a closer look. We took turns carefully touching it. We were pretty sure it was a long fin eel because it was very wrinkly and its fin was very long. We talked about how its eyes weren't very good but that it uses its  amazing sense of smell to find food. We also talked about its incredible migration from Tonga all the way back to its ancestral stream without never having been there before! We discussed what would happen if there were barriers to getting back to its stream, like culverts or dams, and how we can help. Then we released it on land and it wriggle its was back to the stream similarly to how a snake would move. Next we checked the minnow trap and found a small koura. We placed it in a white tray so all could have a look. Afterwards we made koura homes from bricks and ferns and placed them in the water to check on later in the term.  WE HAD LOTS OF FUN!