Backyards can be refuges for wildlife, dens for children, sources of food and nourishment, and spaces of speculation on what might have gone on before and what may be occurring out of sight. Backyards can tie us to the rhythms of nature, give us space to relax and enjoy with others. Caring for our backyards can give us a sense of achievement, inspire us and heal us. Visit the visual and interactive exhibit for all ages to learn about plants, animals and inspiring stories.

Free daily drop-in activities are available as follows:

Birds
Fri 30 June to Sun 2 July
11 am to 1 pm

Birds often visit our backyards and entertain us – we have teamed up with the NZ Garden Bird Survey to bring you a range of activities to learn more about these backyard visitors:

• Make a Bird Mask using colourful templates or colouring in your own

• Enter the NZ Garden Bird Survey colouring competition

• Learning about bird sizes using the Chocolate Fish Index

Pick up a tally sheet to take part in the NZ Garden Bird Survey which from now runs until 3 July.

Butterflies and moths
Mon 3 July to Tues 4 July
11 am to 1 pm

Butterflies and moths can be hard to spot and identify. Learn more about these beautiful creatures through our activities designed with local game developers, Runaway Play:

• Make a Butterfly or Moth Mask using colourful templates or colouring in your own

• Build your own butterfly or moth using one of our origami templates

Green sprouts
Wed 5 July to Thu 6 July
11 am to 1 pm

Microgreens are quick to grow and highly nutritious. They grow all year around and require limited space. Join Our Food Network’s microgreen demonstration and take home your own microgreens ready to grow!

Backyard builder
Fri 7 July to Sun 9 July
11 am to 1 pm

What would your ideal backyard look like? Explore our seed ideas and share your own aspirations to us build our backyard biodiversity book and landscape.

Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.