On Monday, 21^st November the Year 3 to 6 students of the Nelson site had their excursion day. This trip took them to the exciting location of the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary. The Brook Waimārama Sanctuary is a nearly 700-hectare mainland "ecological island”. The sanctuary is the largest fenced reservation for endangered plants and creatures in the South Island, and the second largest in the country. The students enjoyed exploring the reserve and learning about how introduced pests and humans have caused many of our native flora and fauna to become endangered. Some highlights were drinking water from a spring, checking out wetas in their ‘hotels’, and learning about how they identify and trap pests within the sanctuary.