Incredible Kai Discovery Trail

Auckland Botanic Gardens have created some amazing activities to help you discover the hidden taonga around the Gardens. Open daily from 2 April to 5 May 2022, from 10am to 5pm each day, including the April school holidays!

Use the activity sheets and see how nature produces Incredible Kai!

You can download the trail map and activity sheets before you go:

• Download the trail map (PDF)
• Download the activity sheets (PDF)

This activity trail is part of the Beautification Trust’s Eye on Nature EcoFest, a free month-long festival for families/whānau to connect with the environment.

Can you find these hidden taonga along the Incredible Kai Discovery Trail?

1. Jungle Soup: Discover the bromeliads who make ‘jungle soup’ in the jungle habitat​.
2. Fruit & Nut Orchard: Visit the orchard to see what fruits are in season.
3. Grubs Up!: Find the Grubs Up! Area and dig in the leaf litter to see if you can find any bugs. Keep an eye peeled for hoppers, ants, centipedes, beetles and slaters.
4. Kererū in the Pūriri Trees: Follow the signs along the boardwalk at the back of the native plant area to find out how Kererū (Wood pigeon) help our forests. Look for Kererū snoozing in the Pūriri trees.
5. Food is Medicine: Rosemary is traditionally used to help alleviate muscle pain, improve memory, boost the immune system and promote hair growth. It also tastes delicious cooked with lamb and is a good source of iron and calcium
6. Culinary Courtyard: Discover the direction to grow best a variety of vegetables.
7. Pizza Garden: You’ll find plenty of pizza toppings if you search carefully – look for thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, basil, parsley, chives and garlic​.
8. Wetland Taonga: Traditionally for Māori, repo (wetlands) are taonga: treasured places from which plants and animals can be gathered for kai (food), rongoā (medicine) and raranga (weaving).