Gisborne Herald photographer Liam Clayton transferred a large banded tunnelweb spider from a tree to a stick and revealed it to wide-eyed youngsters.
He also found a vagrant spider.
“It was very chill and stayed still on a stick while I walked around with it, showing different groups of people,” he said.
Mr Gibson said the atmosphere was “awesome, with lots of kids buzzing, enjoying the experience of the bush at night and what they could find”.
A secluded log corner, brightly lit by a lamp run off a car battery, was set up to host stories on the history of the remnant kahikatea forest which once covered much of the Gisborne plains, Māori creation stories and information on the insects, animals and environment.
Insect identification and various food supply options were some of the topics discussed.
“Feedback from the night was overwhelming,” said Mr Gibson.
“My kids absolutely loved this, came home buzzing,” and “Amazing turn out for Gizzy!” were just some of the comments on Facebook.
The weather and path conditions were ideal for the night.
Mr Gibson hopes to hold the event again in the future.
