The Enviroschools hui, organised by Lucy Francke at Central Otago Reap, helped pupils get to know their local green areas better.
It was held last week, and brought pupils across eight schools together on the day.
Otago Regional Council regional co-ordinator for Enviroschools, Leisa de Klerk said the hui really got students thinking as they explored Jolendale Park and Alexandra Community Gardens.
"A lot of what the students got out of the day is that there is so much in their community that they haven’t explored yet ... and they’re keen to get out more."
"It’s all about empowering students with information to go back to school and share it wider."
While exploring Jolendale Park, pupils were encouraged to notice their surroundings, including bugs, and Ms de Klerk says pupils saw a lot more species than expected.
Otago Zoologist Connal McLean also travelled from Dunedin to present pupils with different bee and butterfly species.
"It really got them thinking about how they can help those bugs thrive.
"There is so much in the community to help people and to enjoy."
Last week’s event was one of six organised around the region this school term — a record number of events since Enviroschools began in Otago 22 years ago.
