Seaweek Timaru

Connect with our Moana – community events during Seaweek
Connect with our Moana – join us at the various community events during Seaweek. Special thank you to the businesses and community groups who are hosting events.

Sat. 28 February – Sun. 8 March 2026

Event plan and fantastic moana links and resources.

Our local focus will be “Connect with our Moana” – exploring what lives in and around our local moana here in Timaru, and encouraging our community to connect with it both recreationally and educationally throughout the nine-day Seaweek.

 

We are grateful for Prime Port who is sponsoring the marketing of this community event!! 

 

Seaweek Timetable for Timaru

Thank you to the community groups and businesses for their support in hosting events!! 

 

Saturday 28th Feb – Experience Waka Ama with the support of Waitaha Paddling Club (time TBC) 

 

 

 

Sunday 1st March – Beach Yoga and Meditation 7am – 8.30am

 

 

Sunday 1st March 10am – 2pm – Children’s Day at Caroline Bay (Eco Centre)

Come down to Caroline Bay for a FREE day of fun celebrating your tamariki for Children’s Day! Enjoy lots of activities and displays from local organisations, including the Eco Centre. We’ll be celebrating Sea Week with interactive games and hands-on education. Don’t forget to pick up your Sea Week Activities Challenge while you’re there!

Tuesday 3rd March 7pm – Seaweek Eco Talk @ Eco Centre

We’re excited to welcome 3 local speakers: Marijke Bakker from Penguins First Timaru, sharing insights into our local little blue penguins; Kennedy Lange from Environment Canterbury, speaking about tuna (eels); and Keely Kroening from the South Canterbury Museum, who will guide us through the incredible biodiversity of our local rocky shores. 

 

Wednesday 4th March – Multicultural Aoraki Coffee Group Wellbeing Beach Walk

 

 

 

Saturday 7th March – iNaturalist Bioblitz at Waitarakao Rocky Shore (SC Museum)

 

 

 

Sunday 8th March – Beach Yoga and Meditation 7am – 8.30am

 

 

Sunday 8th March 1pm – Our Waitarakao Beach cleanup (Our Waitarakao, Environment Canterbury)

Let’s look after our Waitarakao together this Seaweek! Join us for a community beach cleanup focusing on the beautiful lagoon area. From 1pm – 3pm. Come for the whole time or drop in when you can – all ages welcome (with parent supervision).

 

All week

 

Timaru District Libraries displays / story time

 

 

Seaweek activities challenge (Eco Centre)

Visit the Eco Centre team at Children’s Day to get your activity sheet or it will be available to download from our website soon. 

 

 

Wuhoo Timaru activities

 

Contact

Alice Brice at the Eco Centre

Email admin@scecocentre.org.nz

Phone 0273228177 

For specific event questions contact the event host.

Links and Resources

To help in the classroom or for personal use

Seaweek website Resources and ideas. Teaching tools including their Ocean Literacy Educators Guide. 

Young Ocean Explorers Schools check out their 21 day challenge and amazing videos / resources. 

iNaturalist project for Waitarakao iNaturalist project at Waitarakao / Washdyke Lagoon. Anything you add to iNaturalist (Citizen Science) in this area will be added to this project.  

Sustainable Coastlines “We bring people together to reduce plastic pollution and other litter to protect the moana we all love. We inspire change through beach clean-ups, education, and litter data collection.”

Marine Metre Squared Citizen Science  Established in 2013 by the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre – University of Otago, the Marine Metre² project was developed to encourage communities to get involved in monitoring and protecting the seashore and the many species that call it home.

NZ Marine Studies Centre Resources The NZ Marine Studies Centre produces a range of resources to support our programmes and research activities.  Some of these, such as our marine life database, can be used online.  Others may be downloaded.  These materials may be reproduced for educational purposes, but please ensure you say where they have come from.  We also have a selection of books and other publications for purchase.

Earth Sciences New Zealand  NIWA’s educational resources and scientific data are tools for young people to learn about science.

Mahika Kai – Let’s go on a kai moana hunt! How could you pretend you’re hunting for kai (food) at the CPlay playground?

Our local Kai Moana Story Wuhoo Timaru brings you local resources and information 

Marine Stewardship Council Explore ocean-themed education resources aligned with the New Zealand curriculum suitable for Years 7-10, including ocean lesson plans, videos, fact sheets, games, and activities.

Biosecurity Education Modules Help our Year 5-8 learners in Aotearoa understand the role they play in protecting our coastlines, while gaining important knowledge and skills from the education for sustainability (EfS) pedagogy and supporting the key competencies and overall vision as stated in the New Zealand Curriculum.

DOC Protecting our Marine World Links to the New Zealand Curriculum at levels 1-4, but can be adapted for use at various levels. The unit is based on an integrated, inquiry learning process. It contains teaching and learning material to support a unit of work that is grounded in Environmental Education for Sustainability (EEfS) / Conservation education themes, and incorporates aspects of Te Ao Māori (a Māori worldview). 

Project Jonah Includes a range of free downloadable activities and short videos for teaching about marine mammals.

Let us know if you have another resource to add to this list!