Planting NZ Passion vines with Kereru Discovery

On Tuesday 9th of June, fourteen members of the Khandallah School Garden Gang participated in a working lunch as part of an ongoing initiative between The Kereru Discovery and the school.

With Mount Kau Kau’s Khandallah Park at the ‘back door’ of the school, the initiative aims to involve children in the conservation of our native wood pigeon, the Kereru, whose habitat we share.

The children planted over 50 Kohia (New Zealand Passionfruit Vine) with guidance from Tony Stoddard and Amber Bill from Kereru Discovery (WWF) and Wellington City Council respectively.

Some of the vines had been grown and cared for by the Garden Gang.

 The children learnt that the Kohia plant is a native vine and a vigorous climber that wraps itself around other trees’ trunks and branches as it makes its way up to the treetop canopy. It has small white flowers in spring then orange fruit in autumn that native birds, including the Kereru, like to feed on. The sap of the tree was used to make a kind of chewing gum by the Maori and as well as eating the fruit, Maori extracted the fragrant oil to use as body oil.

Check out our Kereru drawings on the 'Kereru Drawings' Page tab.