Weird and wonderful on offer at Pūweto Festival
Wetland bird masks, critter colour-in, mudfish scrabble, eels and ladders, live geckos and kahikatea tree climbing will be among the weird and wonderful things on offer for families at this year’s Pūweto Festival.
Named after a shy wetland bird (pūweto/spotless crake) that lives around the margins of Lake Rotopiko, the event is a celebration of World Wetlands Day. Hosted by the National Wetland Trust, it will be held at the lake on Sunday 2 February.
Waipā District Council heritage and museum manager Tony Roxburgh said initiatives like the Pūweto festival were helping to draw positive attention to wetland areas.
“Wetlands are one of our rarest ecosystem and for too many years they have been drained, polluted and modified and only a small percentage of original wetlands remain today. But the good story is wetlands are starting to be appreciated for the ecosystems they are and for the environmental services they provide humans.”
Festival-goers can visit information stands, try out the discovery trail games, and explore newly completed boardwalks around the lake and through a towering kahikatea forest.
The stands will be run by various agencies including Mercury, Waipā District Council, Waikato Regional Council, NZ Landcare Trust, Treelands, Forest and Bird, Go Eco, Outdoor Kids and the Waikato Ecological Restoration Trust.
Gates will open from 10.30am, with koha welcomed. Dog are not permitted, but families are encouraged to bring along a picnic lunch and enjoy the site.
Head to www.wetlandtrust.org.nz/what-we-do/world-wetlands-... for more information.