In 2021 Whitebait Connection Programme Coordinators Ray & Rosie delivered a programme to Pāmapūria School. Their programme included field trips to the Takahue River and Victoria River for freshwater investigations. Takahue River and Victoria River are both in the Awanui River catchment area. Both of these rivers start in Raetea Forest, at the top of the catchment. The Takahue River meets the Victoria River which then flows into the Awanui River in the middle of the catchment. The Takahue and Victoria Rivers flow through farmland and native bush.
Here are the results from the students testing at the Takahue River:
- Habitat Assessment - The students noticed that there was not much shade over the river, and there was some erosion as there were not many trees to hold the bank in place and stop soil and sediment from washing into the river
- Electrical Conductivity - 180-200 µS/cm
- Water Temperature - the temperature ranged between 12.8 and 17.5 degrees celisus throughout the day
- Clarity - 85cm
- pH - 7
- Macroinvertebrates - snails, freshwater shrimp, damselfly nymph, flat mayfly nymph and water boatmen
- Fish - gambusia (pest fish)
Here are the results from the students testing at the Victoria River:
- Clarity - 81cm
- pH - 7
- Temperature - the temperature ranged between 9.9 and 12.1 degrees celsius throughout the day
- Electrical conductivity - 150 µS/cm
- Macroinvertebrates - swimming mayfly nymph, spiny gill mayfly nymph, flat mayfly nymph, woody cased caddisfly, smooth cased caddisfly, stony cased caddisfly, dobsonfly larvae, koura, tail gill stonefly larvae, damselfly nymphpond skaters, snails, and worms
- Fish - Common bullies
