Rimurimu whānau and features

You've met our two ākonga, Rakaipo and Ngawai, at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Mokopuna.

And we're back here at Moa Point, and we're going to put their knowledge to the test.

They've been gathering a bit of seaweed from the shoreline here that's been washed up. So, Rakaipo...

Eh, who asked them?

You've got some seaweed in front of us. Tell us about it.

Okay, so first, there’s three whānau | families of seaweed.

There’s kura or whero, which is just red.

Then parāone and kākāriki, which is brown and green.

Okay, so three groups of seaweed. Āe.

Yeah. And so first, we’ll look at this one.

Some examples. All right. What have we got here?

So this is rimu kakauroa | giant kelp. It's from the parāone family.

What are some of its features?

So there's the pūtake, the holdfast, it holds onto the rocks.

Then there's the kakau, the stipe.

Then the rau, or the blades.

Then the pūkahurahau, or the air bladder.

Right. With the giant kelp, that helps it float to the surface?

Yeah.

Ka pai. What else have you got?

And this of course is part of the restoration project.

That's the one you are growing and replanting.

Yeah it is.

Ka pai. What else have you got to show us?

Oh, there's this big leathery-looking one. This is..

Rimurapa.

Rimurapa or bull kelp.

Bull kelp.

Traditionally used for making pōhā to preserve or carry food.

Right. So, this big part, I think you told me before, is opened up, food is put in there and tied up like that for preservation.

Yeah.

Awesome. Very handy. So.. and this was from what whānau?

Parāone; so brown.

Āe.

Then there's this. It's rimu kaikai | sea lettuce.

It's good to put in salads and stuff.

Looks very much like sea lettuce.

Something that I got out of my burger the other day, almost eh.

It's from the green family | kākāriki.

Alright.

And so, lastly, there's this one, which is, it's greenish brown, but it's from the kura, the red family.

And it's good to eat. Would you like to try some?

I will, actually, since you offered. What is its name?

Karengo.

Karengo.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Kia ora. Thanks so much for that!

Ngawai, we’ve learnt about some of the features and the whānau of seaweed,

but there’s a bit more to it isn’t there?

It’s got some real benefits for the environment.

Yeah, so it's a habitat for the fishes to hide from its predators.

It's also food for all the living beings in the ocean.

It also absorbs carbon dioxide, which produces oxygen.

Well, that's a big one.

And, you know, when we consider our own relationship with the environment,

it's important for humans, too.

Yeah. So there's a saying that goes:

Ko au te moana, ko te moana ko au.

I'm the ocean and the ocean is me.

So that's basically saying, I'm the guardian of the ocean.

And, I just got to protect it.

Protect it for the future.

And that's been a real big driver behind you guys’ involvement in the rimurimu restoration project.

And so thinking about, you know, the future and other people maybe getting involved in similar restoration projects, what would you say to them?

Well, there's another saying that goes:

Mēnā rānei koe hiahia ngā taonga o te moana me ruku.

If you seek the treasures of the ocean, you got to get wet.

So, nau mai piki, haramai kake. Tō mai ki tō tātou whare whakarauora i te taiao.

Kia ora.