Celebrate Matariki with a fun, hands‑on school holiday programme exploring the science of tuna. Learn, play, and create your own soft-sculpture eel with local artist Pepi-Joy Gilgen.

Tuna, or freshwater eels, are taonga species with an incredible life cycle. They travel vast distances, live for decades, and live for up to 100 years. 

During this Matariki programme, tamariki will begin their morning in Exscite, learning about the lifecycle of eels and playing with our playful and cheeky eel projection.

In the afternoon, they will visit our He Momo Nā te Whānau exhibition to explore how the natural world inspires jewellery, art and creative practice. From there, it’s time to get hands‑on and let imaginations wriggle free.

Working with local artist Pepi‑Joy Gilgen, tamariki will create their own soft‑sculpture eel to take home. Each eel will be unique and will make very low‑maintenance pets!