Classroom Visits to Fernglen

- visit your local native gardens at Kauri Rd Birkenhead and experience:

Education Centre at Fernglen

• Rare and endangered plants from throughout New Zealand, including an Alpine collection.
• An enclosed Fernery containing the spectacular 'Prince of Wale's Feather Fern.'
• A bush walk across a serene nikau and tree fern gully with established natives.
• A recently planted area, regenerating native bush and a newly established wetland.
• The largest Rimu in Birkenhead; the smallest conifer in the world and the largest Forget-me-not in the world!

Education Sessions

Inside the Education Centre

• Local History - a journey through time with local identity Muriel Fisher's property, owned by the Fisher family since 1888 and now an Auckland Council Reserve.
• Native plant identification - observation, seed collecting and planting.
• Birds and their food sources - all you want to know about the tui, kereru, kotare, riroriro, fantail, morepork, shining cuckoo, silver eye.
• Minibeasts - discover and observe habitats, behaviour and life cycles, invertebrate sampling, beneficial and harmful effects on plants.
• Endangered Plants
• The Wetland Habitat

Examples of Student Work

Information

• Entrance to Fernglen is free
• Whole class visits and group bookings
• Education centre available catering for about 30 people - TV, video, whiteboard, activities
• Envirogroup visits encouraged during lunchtimes and other times
• Sleepovers for 10 children and accompanying adults - night walks, glow worms
• Self-guided tours - Fernglen is open to the public so you can guide yourselves with the help of the maps and tree identification sheets available at the gate or arrange for staff to set up THE NATURE TRAIL - this involves stations around the gardens and on the bush walk with a variety of activities suited to your needs.