Inspiration + Education = Conservation

This afternoon we enjoyed getting close to some of the amazing sea creatures that inhabit Wellington’s rocky shores at the Island Bay Marine Education Centre.

A resource consent for a new Marine Education Centre has been submitted and Family Lee is very excited at the prospect of having such an amazing facility within a ten-minute walk of our home. For more information and inspiration visit Wellington Marine Conservation Trust.

Charlotte has visited the centre before and she was incredibly excited to have the opportunity to touch star-fish and learn about amazing sea creatures close to home. Daddy was equally enthused and Mummy even volunteered her hand to a baby crab, which scuttled its way quickly across with no nips, only tickles!

Sophie was a little perturbed with all the noisy activity and nearly got her finger bitten by a sea turtle (which Charlotte later fed with some more appropriate food!), but was enchanted with a baby sleeping soundly in a newborn car-seat capsule, under one of the fish tanks, whilst everyone walked around oblivious!

It was a captivating visit and we can’t wait for more ‘public open-days’ to learn more about the natural wonders of our shores.

Island Bay Marine Education Centre:

We finished up the day with a walk (at least Daddy, Charlotte and Sophie did). Mummy (aka Cinderella!) stayed home to do the housework, but Mummy did have a child-free morning with friend Marrisa at the Wellington House and Home Exhibit (see Marrisa’s post on the Dawes Family in New Zealand blog)!

We had a hard job enticing Charlotte away from the computer to bed, but the problem was soon solved once we’d gathered some sea focused bedtime reading (Nemo, The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, Sydney Aquarium – see an old post on Charlotte’s visit, 1001 Things to Spot in the Sea to name a few…).