Eels Nga taonga tuku iho – te tuna
An ancient gift from the gods. Or so say local Maori. They were once so abundant in the Wairarapa region that they were both the main dietary and economic staple of Rangitane. They live an extraordinary long life. Their migration path is thousands of kilometres. You will find out all sorts of interesting facts at the daily eel talks at 1.30pm.

For at least 65 million years, longfin eels (Anquilla dieffenbachii), or tuna, have made their homes in New Zealand’s swamps, lakes, streams, and rivers.

Some rivers in the Wairarapa region ran ‘black’ with them. Now, longfin eels are under threat from commercial fishing, habitat loss and pollution.

Long fin eels thrived in pre-European New Zealand. They were big, easy to catch and tasty – a true gift from the gods. Tuna have an important place in Maori culture. Carved images of tuna appear beside tribal ancestors on meeting houses, and stories of tuna are common in tribal histories. More>>

Tuatara – Our Living Fossil
The tuatara is an ancient creature that looks like a lizard but their skeleton shows many differences.

They are a ‘living fossil’ – the only survivor of an extinct group of reptiles that lived during the age of the dinosaurs.

Tuatara survived because no predators invaded New Zealand when it separated from Australia about 90 million years ago. They lived throughout the mainland of New Zealand until humans arrived and introduced harmful predators.

Tuatara translated means ‘peaks on the back’.

These spiny crests are made of triangular soft folds of skin, which stiffen during mating or displays of aggression. Tuatara shed their skin at least once per year as adults, and three or four times a year as juveniles. They range in colour from olive green to orange-red, and can change colour over their lifetime. More>>