Students from Tauranga Girls' College, Tauranga Boys' College and Papamoa College were quick to find out if the hip bone was actually connected to the thigh bone in a race to assemble a rabbit skeleton.

Associate professor Carolyn King with Pukekohe High School Year 10 students Michael Gutierrez, Katherine Martin and Rebeckah Dell discussing what goes where, as they reassemble a rabbit skeleton.

The Year 10 students were divided into groups and turned loose in a University of Waikato lab this week to assemble more than 200 rabbit bones into a skeleton as the clock ticked.

This is one of seven interactive activities Year 10 students took part in at the university's ‘Experience Waikato Day' on November 5, says University of Waikato communications advisor Ann Huston.

Before the rabbit race began, biological sciences associate professor Carolyn King gave a short talk on the similarities between the skeletons of vertebrates; and she was on-hand to give advice throughout the exercise.

The winning group was made up Francesca Cox, Sam Fausett and Josie Eason, from Pukekohe High School.

'It was pretty hard,” says Josie, 'but it was lots of fun and it was good to see if we could actually do it”.

About 200 students from seven schools – Pukekohe High School, Manurewa High School, Tauranga Girls' College, Tauranga Boys' College, John Paul College, Papamoa College and Matamata College – attended the day. Students also attended mini lectures and a presentation on psychology.