Winter Learning Journey Day 4 Activity 2

Whale Rider

Traditionally, boys are only allowed to become a chief in a Maori tribe however, this tradition looks to be upset when the child that is in line to be the next chief dies at birth but is survived by his twin sister, Pai. 

However at the age of 12, Pai asks for help from her Grandmother, and under the training of her Uncle Roa, to claim her birthright to be chief. To hold the mantle of chief she will have to convince her grandfather that she is beyond worthy of such a position and of "great" character..

Grandfather however is of the belief that to honour their ancestors, the age old tradition of male descendants leading the whanau must be upheld.  Can Pai convince everyone that she is a leader, and will her Grandfather change his opinion of her as a girl and see her true calling?

I would rate this movie 4 out of 5

Winter Learning Journey Day 1 Bonus Activity

My flag symbolises every man and woman who represented New Zealand when they went to war in defense of peace, and of all those who didn't come back to their homeland.  

• The flower is a symbol of the blood which was shed, and the lives lost, with eternal gratitude and love of their sacrifice.  
• The green depicts the associated "kiwi" colour from the land they have come from.  
• The black is the colour of grief and mourning for where they have fallen.

Winter Learning Journey Day 1 Activity 2

After watching the Auckland tourism video, I decided that I would like to;

• Catch a ferry to Devonport and have farm-raised catfish with a side of caesar salad at the Red Lobster. 

After my lunch, I would go to;

• Rainbows End where my favourite ride is...Fear Fall.  It has is a drop tower measuring over 18 stories high, with top speeds of 80km/h. 

Next I would venture into;

• Auckland Domain and have a wander around the Auckland War Memorial Museum.  I would go directly to the natural disaster exhibition where there is a volcanic eruption simulator and a detailed explanation of what would happen to Auckland if there was a volcanic eruption.  I would also visit the World War 2 area and look at the Spitfire and the Zero (WW2 Planes) fighter from Japan.

After a long day of sightseeing I would be rather hungry so I would;

• Catch a bus into Ponsonby for a delicious dinner at Burger Burger.  I would get a Kiwi Classic- a Burger with a NZ beef patty, aged cheddar cheese, pickles, cos lettuce, tomato, fried egg, beetroot, tomato jam, mustard and mayo all washed down with a glass of LnP.

Winter Learning Journey Day 1 Activity 1

Top 3 Facts

1. Four hundred years before Captain Cook set down his anchor in Poverty Bay Gisborne, the Maori people had voyaged in their waka's to find the land that we know today as Aotearoa (The Land of the Long White Cloud).
2. One of the many things that New Zealand is infamous for is AJ Hackett's invention of the bungy jump...A J Hackett - NZ . The first ever modern bungy jump was on April 1 1979, from a 76 metre high suspension bridge in Bristol, England. This particular jump was carried out by David Kirke, Geoff Tabin and Simon Keeling...all members of the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club. The idea was based upon native tribal "land diving" in Vanuatu. Here a tribesman would jump off a tower made of wood (about 20-30 metres high) with tree vines wrapped around their ankles as their "bungy-cord".
3. New Zealand is presently home to 4.596 million people, with a combined land mass of 268,021 km2...however 56% of this population live on the North Island. A longstanding popular myth has always been of the extreme ratio of sheep to people (allegedly 20:1). However, that is not the kiwi reality with the ratio now being only 6:1 and there being more cows (dairy) than sheep in today's New Zealand pastures.

Schooling

We went to Howick Historical Village on tuesday the 27th of June. One of the activities that we did was schooling. I really enjoyed this activity. Mostly because we got to experience what schooling was like back in the 1830s to 1840s. There were a lot of differences from then to now. One of them being there as a cane which teachers would use to punish the students.

Buttermaking

We went to Howick Historical Village on tuesday the 27th of June. One of the activities that we did was butter making. I really enjoyed this activity. Mostly because we got to eat the butter after it was made. It tasted really different to what you by in the supermarket.

Indoor Toys

We went to Howick Historical Village on tuesday the 27th of June. One of the activities that we did was indoor toys. I really enjoyed this activity. Mostly because all of the majority of the toys used gravity to work. That was sort of there electricity I guess?!