September: National Bee Awareness Month

Did you know that if bees died out there would be no chance of humans surviving? 

Bees are responsible for pollinating more than a third of the food we eat and yet populations of bees are disappearing all over the world.

As neighbourhoods become more built up and people plant low maintenance gardens without flowering plants, bees are left exhausted and hungry. 

 

National Bee Awareness Month is an initiative to increase the number and variety of nectar and pollen rich flowering plants available to friendly insect pollinators. 

 

Selecting a range of plants which offer flowers through the seasons is one way to help bee colonies. Here are some suggestions:

• Blue, purple, white and yellow-flowering plants are their favourites as they can’t see the colour red.
• Bees prefer plants with flowers with a single row of petals, which make landing and retrieving nectar easier.
• Bees especially love the flowers of brassica, sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, nasturtium and lavender.
• Herbs which can be grown in containers if you don’t have much space such as chives, mint, basil,  lemon balm, rosemary, sage and thyme are excellent bee friendly options.

You don't have to dedicate a large plot of ground in order to help the bee population; just tuck some of these plants in among your vegetables and garden beds. And it’s a good excuse to not mow your lawn so often so the dandelions and clover have a chance to grow! 

 

The Upper Nihotupu Dam

Today, the first of the Year 4 classes visited the Upper Nihotupu Dam in the Waitakere Ranges. It was a fabulous day out and a wonderful learning experience for our Piwakawaka children.

The dam was completed in 1923 and has a capacity of 2.2 gigalitres (which is approximately 1000 Olympic sized pools).

Children from Rm 18 and 19 were amazed by the size of the dam.

Following the pipes which take the water from the reservoir to the treatment plant

The rain that had been falling for the last few days had filled the reservoir to maximum capacity and all of the beautiful waterfalls we passed along the way were full to bursting point.

 

The rain that falls in the Waitakere's flows downhill, pools in the reservoir and then continues it's journey...

Watching the water released over the spillway pouring down the impressive dam.

Each day, Watercare supplies quality drinking water to around 1.3 million Aucklanders. 26 percent of Auckland's water is collected in one of six dams located high in the Waitakere Ranges. The construction of these amazing dams were such an incredibly forward thinking project for our city’s early town planners and engineers. 

Climbing the 156 steps to the top of the dam

 The Waitaks receive around 2000mm of rain annually, which is about 50 percent more than central Auckland. The elevated location mean water collected in the dams can flow to the city by gravity. 

The Waitakere dams were constructed between 1907 and 1971 and are named after the stream that feeds into each reservoir. Raw water from these dams is piped to treatment plants in Huia, Titirangi and Swanson where it undergoes a series of treatment stages to ensure it meets the requirements of the Drinking Water Standards for New Zealand.

And that is part of the story of the water that you enjoy from your taps each day.

So have a chat to a Year 4 student, and learn more about the interesting story of Auckland’s water. 

Following the tracks which were originally built as part of the supply line for the dam building.