Atawhai Childcare

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Atawhai childcare is a nurturing, caring space that allows your child to grow and learn in an interest-based environment🙂
'Ko te ahurei o te tamaiti arahia o tātou mahi'
'Let the uniqueness of the child guide our work'

Celebrating Te Wiki o te Reo Māori has been a beautiful opportunity for us all to connect with the rich heritage, langua...
18/09/2026

Celebrating Te Wiki o te Reo Māori has been a beautiful opportunity for us all to connect with the rich heritage, language, and traditions of our homeland, ‘Aotearoa’.

This week, our haerenga ako took us deep into the heart of te ao Māori, exploring our cultural treasures that span generations.
Here's a glimpse of what our week looked and sounded like:

Traditional Kākahu & Arts: This week, tamariki explored the incredible artistry of kākahu (traditional clothing) and channeled their inner master weavers to create their very own maro.
Kaiako talked about how traditional cloaks tell stories of ancestry and connection to the land. Keep an eye out for these precious masterpieces coming home soon!

Pūrākau & Music: We listened to local pūrākau (legends) and pakiwaitara (myths) that tie us to the whenua, and our hapori, alongside waiata carrying profound generational meanings and stories of the past, present, and future.
Ko Hatupatu me te Wahine Manu: Hatupatu and the Bird Woman
The Swim of Love: The Legend of Hinemoa and Tūtānekai
Ko Īhenga me te Patupaiarehe: Īhenga and the Patupaiarehe

Language & Kīwaha: We practiced useful everyday sentences and expressive kīwaha (idioms) to confidently weave more te reo into our daily environment.

Rongoā Māori: We also had a hui earlier this week and learnt a lot about a local collagen plant and its traditional rongoā (medicinal purposes). It has definitely been an inspiring week of growth, connection, and honoring our living culture of te reo Māori.

Karawhiua e te whānau 💕

We have been exploring sensory play activities outside this week.Challenging ourselves to cross the bridge and enjoying ...
11/09/2026

We have been exploring sensory play activities outside this week.

Challenging ourselves to cross the bridge and enjoying success with lots of smiles!

Construction and family play are always a favorite for indoor activities.

This Week in the Tui Room, we have been very busy preparing some special Father’s Day surprises for all our wonderful da...
06/09/2026

This Week in the Tui Room, we have been very busy preparing some special Father’s Day surprises for all our wonderful dads! 💙

Our tamariki worked together to make cookies, cards and thoughtful little coupons. They also added their tiny handprints to their dads’ cups, creating precious gifts to take home. The room was filled with excitement as tamariki proudly said, “It’s for my daddy! I made it for dada!” They had lots of fun creating something special for the people they aroha.

We also completed our Daffodil Day wall from last week, reflecting the children’s manaakitanga. 🌼

The tamariki also made a cake with Whaea Tory to farewell our amazing Poppa Phil, who has taken such wonderful care of Atawhai through all his hard work and maintenance over the years. We wish him all the best! 💛

We hope all our dads and father figures have a very happy and relaxing Father’s Day with their whānau! 💛

Aroha mai, aroha atu — love received, love returned.

This amazing man affectionately known as “Poppa Phil” at Atawhai Childcare has been our handyman for the past eight year...
04/09/2026

This amazing man affectionately known as “Poppa Phil” at Atawhai Childcare has been our handyman for the past eight years
Today we said “Happy Last Day to Poppa Phil” as he embarks on his journey into retirement ❤️
So with heartfelt gratitude we want to thank Phil for his years of service, care and craftsmanship. Through your hard work our buildings and environment have been brought to life - strengthened, maintained, improved and made welcoming for everyone who spends time here.
While we were all at home moving through our busy weekends, Phil has often been quietly busy too. He’s been repairing, fixing, adding and building new things that continue to improve and care for our buildings.
You have made an everlasting mark on Atawhai through every repair, improvement and thoughtful touch that reflects the pride you took in your work and the difference you made across our spaces 😊
As you step into retirement we wish you every joy, with slower mornings, relaxed days and time with the people you love. Thank you for being a valued member of Atawhai you will be greatly appreciated and warmly remembered 😊
It was awesome to have your lovely wife Raewyn join us for your last day, and we will remember what she said “if you annoy her, you’re getting sent back to work “ 😂
Happy retirement Poppa Phil ❤️

🌼💛 Celebrating Daffodil Day! 💛🌼This week, we enjoyed celebrating Daffodil Day with some fun, hands-on learning experienc...
28/08/2026

🌼💛 Celebrating Daffodil Day! 💛🌼

This week, we enjoyed celebrating Daffodil Day with some fun, hands-on learning experiences in our Kiwi Pēpi room 🌼
Our little tamariki got creative, making handprint daffodils 🎨, and painting daffodils using recycled materials ♻️🎨 while wearing their daffodil crowns 👑🌼.
They also enjoyed exploring a real daffodil flower, having the opportunity to touch, smell, look closely, and discover the beauty of nature. 🌱💛
It was a beautiful week filled with creativity, exploration, sensory experiences, and plenty of smiles! 🌼✨
Little hands, big discoveries! 💛

20/08/2026

Happy Tongan 🇹🇴 Language Week

Uike Kātoanga'i 'o e lea faka-Tonga -Happy Tongan Language Week! 🇹🇴This week our Tui Room tamariki had a blast celebrati...
20/08/2026

Uike Kātoanga'i 'o e lea faka-Tonga -
Happy Tongan Language Week! 🇹🇴

This week our Tui Room tamariki had a blast celebrating and learning about the Tongan Culture. Some children helped make their own Kiekie (A traditional belt for women) in inspiration to Whaea Hine’s authentic Kiekie. We also enjoyed learning every day tongan phrases during our morning whanau time. Phrases like;
Mālo e lelei - Greetings. Fēfē Hake? - How are you? Oku ou Saipe - I am good. Alu a - Goodbye.

We look forward to acknowledging and celebrating cultures within our Daycare to support our beautiful tamarki. This week has been a blast!
A phrase for you to take home with you can be - “Malo”, meaning “Thank You”.

Mālō e lelei ki he uike fakafiefia. ʻOfa atu ki he kimoutolu kotoa ❤️

Kia ora Whānau 🌿💚This week has been a very special and exciting one for our Kiwi Room ngā tamariki, as we made a big mov...
14/08/2026

Kia ora Whānau 🌿💚

This week has been a very special and exciting one for our Kiwi Room ngā tamariki, as we made a big move into our new Kiwi Pēpi room on Monday! 🐣✨
Our tamariki have been busy exploring their new environment, discovering a variety of new toys, resources, and inviting play spaces. Some were a little unsure at first, while others were full of excitement and curiosity as they began to explore their new surroundings. 💛
It has been beautiful to watch our tamariki settle in, build confidence, and make the new space their own. There have been lots of smiles, discoveries, learning, and wonderful moments of play throughout the week. 🌱🧸
We are so proud of our little explorers and look forward to seeing all the learning, adventures, and special memories that will unfold in our new Kiwi Pēpi room. 🥰
He wāhi hou, he wheako hou, he ako hou.
A new space, new experiences, and new learning. 🌿✨

Ngā mihi nui,
The Kiwi Room Team 💚

The morning air embraced us with a gentle welcome as our Atawhai tamariki wandered beneath the majestic, vibrant canopy ...
07/08/2026

The morning air embraced us with a gentle welcome as our Atawhai tamariki wandered beneath the majestic, vibrant canopy of our beloved local tree trust. Each step echoed as they crunched the leaves beneath their feet, a symphony of nature’s quiet joy.

The golden sunlight poured through the swaying branches, blanket placed out on the cool, dew-kissed grass, with their packed lunchboxes at the ready on this serene Friday morning.

Have a beautiful restful weekend e te whānau 💕

Kia ora Whānau💃❄️ We didn’t let the chilly weather stop us from having fun this week! Our tamariki loved getting up and ...
31/07/2026

Kia ora Whānau
💃❄️ We didn’t let the chilly weather stop us from having fun this week! Our tamariki loved getting up and moving with some energetic dancing, filling the room with smiles, laughter, and lots of happy energy. 🎶
Another favourite activity was the🫧✨ Bubble fun that brought so much joy this week! What made it even more special was hearing a couple of our little ones proudly say one of their very first few words – "bubbles!" 🥹💙
Watching children build their confidence through language🎨✨ is such a rewarding part of their learning journey. As they excitedly asked for more bubbles, there were smiles, laughter, and lots of chasing, popping, and giggling!
It's amazing how a simple activity can encourage communication, movement, and shared moments of happiness. 🌈🫧
Whaea Raj introduced a fun new painting tool using five earbuds bundled together, giving our tamariki the opportunity to explore a different way of creating art.
The children enjoyed experimenting with this unique painting technique, making colourful patterns and prints while developing their creativity and fine motor skills. It was wonderful to see their curiosity, excitement, and confidence grow as they discovered how everyday materials can be used in new and imaginative ways.

Address

Mokoia Drv, Tihiotonga
Rotorua
3010

Opening Hours

Monday 6am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 6am - 5:30pm
Friday 7:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+6473489909

Website

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