Below are some talking points and activities to pass the time, all relating to today’s video.

Talking points

Discuss the ideas presented in the video with your family—at home or over video conferencing. Find ways to involve as many people as possible, especially those who you know are isolated by the lock-down.

• The Chatham Islands are the final landmass in the South Pacific Ocean before Chile. What did you notice about the landscape shown on these islands? What kind of lifestyle do you think people have there? What might be an advantage and a disadvantage of living so far from mainland New Zealand?
• The skua are described as “tyrants” in this episode. What do you think is meant by this? Do you agree that skua are tyrants? Did you like the skua as you watched this episode, or not? Are there any other birds you can think of that are opportunistic feeders/scavengers?
• The pilot whales are actually a type of dolphin. Whales and dolphins are both cetaceans. How many other cetaceans can you think of?How did you see the whales help each other—particularly the matriarch, or lead female pilot whale?
• The baby hapuku are shown 40 days after we first saw them sheltering in their kelp raft, which is cast adrift from Banks Peninsula to head for the Chathams. What differences could you see in their anatomy after this time? What do you think they feed on while sheltering in the kelp raft?
• Did you realise that paua are so plain looking on the outer shell? What did you notice about the way the paua can move itself around?Do you think of paua as intelligent after watching this? Why or why not?

Task—Make a cardboard relief painting of a black robin

A shallow cardboard lid such as a shoebox lid is ideal for this project.

1. Paint the inside of the lid with colours that make you think of the bush. Don’t make it too dark as you want the black robin to stand out when you add it in later. Let this dry.
2. Gather a small amount of some native foliage such as ferns and kawakawa. Paint the top side of them with green paint and press carefully onto your lid to make print impressions.
3. Draw a black robin on thick cardboard. Cut it out and paint it black.
4. Stick the robin onto the scene.

Send us a picture of your black robin!