Category: Hanga | Create

Yesterday, on the 29th of February,  I luckily arrived  with my friend, Graziel, when it was a few minutes away from 8:15 because we had to start walking at 8:25. So I removed my outer clothes because I had my swimming togs under my school uniform, got my towel, shoes that I could use for walking and for getting wet and goggles just in case.

After that, I put my school uniform into my swimming bag.Then, I put my swimming bag back into the cloak bay which is where we put our bags. A few minutes later, Mr Bell told us to call the other students who are in my class.

 We got our hats from Mrs Agnew because it would be hotter in the water. When Marii and I were going to call them, we did a little race but she got ahead of me because she went first. When Marii arrived at the canopy, she shouted to our classmates to come back to room 7. Our other classmates were a little worried and anxious because they were supposed change. But luckily, we didn’t really need to change. So we got all our bags and sat down at the canopy. Once all of us were there, Mr Bell asked Pio to do prayers because he is really good at starting and ending prayers. 

So Pio accepted and did a prayer to pro0tect us when we were walking and sailing. Once Pio finished prayers, Mrs Bullot, our principal, said to partner up so it is easier to count. I  partnered up with Pio, then we prayed each prayer like the Hail Holy Queen prayer. After praying, we went across Church Crescent, down Basin View Road and  crossed Lagoon Road.

Once we finished walking, we met Steph and Allie, who came from Yachting New Zealand. We also met Blair, who came  from Panmure Lagoon Sailing Club. We learned the parts of the yacht like the rudder which to use if you face it left, it will go right, including the mainsail and the centreboard which is like a fin.

We learned the positions on where we sat like if you are controlling the mainsail, you sit nearest the mainsail making your feet face forward and opposite when you are controlling the rudder. To also get more speed, you have to paddle with your hands which hurts your arm.

I also forgot to tell you but the year 5s from room 6 also came from you. Georzen and I were the first ones, we were sitting together. Then Graziel and Marii were second and they passed us. After they passed us, the others came. We made a comeback and passed them. Steph and Allie said that Georzen and I were doing really good. It was until Georzen and I thought that we should team up with Graziel and Marii.

After Marii and Graziel teamed with us, we had to collect ducks and throw them into the boat Steph and Allie were in. If we accidentally dropped a duck, Graziel and Marii would get them and pass it back, same for us as well to be fair for teaming. Again, I ALSO forgot to say that after knowing how to do the controls, we played this game called follow the bubbles. To play it, Steph and Allies boats use a motor to make bubbles, and we have to follow the bubbles.

After following the bubbles and collecting and throwing ducks. All of us had to capsize. A  capsize is to flip your yacht upside down. So Georzen and I did that by using the pole which is where the sail is connected by it. After doing that, we also had to flip it back to the normal side  which is really hard. So Georzen went to push the back of the yacht and I had to climb to the centreboard and pull it to me. After using all my strength, we pushed the yacht back to its normal position.

Then I went and climbed inside of the yacht and helped Georzen to climb on. Georzen wanted to help others but he capsized the boat again so I had to do the whole thing again. I would love to explain and share more but it is really long but I hope that you have a nice day.

This week on Monday, Room six and I had another unique experience that most of us haven’t experienced before. Our chosen time to go to the stone cottage was at ten o’clock, and luckily for us, we just had to cross a road. After walking through our school and over the road, we walked around the stone cottage anti clockwise. The reason why we were walking around is because Room 2, was still there. While we were walking around, we looked at all the flowers and trees in the garden. There is also a berry tree which I don’t really know its name but I remember picking berries from it, and they tasted sour and sweet.

                                               After Room 2 finished their visit, Terry and Patrick introduced themselves and they welcomed us to the stone cottage and to explore stuff. We also had to  first walk in 2 files because the house was small, but lucky me, I was small enough to nearly reach the front.The first room we walked into is the parlour. We first explored the pictures around and the items around us like the music sheet with the flute. There was also a sign that told us to not touch items, there was also another person that we didn’t really notice because she was sitting so still but her name is Josephine. I wasn’t really sure why she was there, but maybe she was a guest or helps out too.

After exploring the parlour, we went to the bedroom and looked at the items that Terry explained. Terry said people like Phoebe Dunn and John Harrison had lived there. There was also a big bowl which I wondered what it was for until Terry taught us that it is called a potty. It was used in the olden days as a toilet and then they would put it in a hole in the ground and then clean it with water. There was also a kind of teapot but Terry explained that it was called a moustache cup with a strip of porcelain across the top. The strip of porcelain was to cover their moustaches from getting wet and men in the olden days liked moustaches a lot.

There was also a shaving bowl with a brush in. Room 6 and I were actually pretty confused, but then Terry explained that they would mix soap and water, then they would use the brush and scrub the patches of hair with the mixed soap with water. Then they would use a sharp razor to shave their faces. After that,Terry explains a tall but thin jug that is used to drink water at night. The women had to get water. Terry also explains how the women in the olden days used long clothes and how they would work from dawn till dusk

After Terry explained all of the items in the Bedroom, Terry and Patrick told us to go to the Kitchen since we hadn’t explore there yet. After walking there in 2 files, Terry explained how the women would grow and collect vegetables like Corn, Potatoes, Kumeras and their greens. They would also have a cow for milk. Terry would also explain ( I forgot to explain ) that men love drinking beer and tea. Terry explained how they would iron their clothes using a thick metal with a handle, they would always have two. One is heated by the fire while the other one was being used to iron the clothes.

Terry also explained how they would sew by using a pedal crank to make the sewing machine work. After that, Patrick explained that the children would use a pair of stilts to play with. I forgot to also mention that every house would have a coal burner which burns for a long time to keep themselves warm. After all of that, I had an experience I never had before. Before leaving, we said thank you and Room 6 and I took a photo at the stone cottage. We had many things to learn, especially how the stone cottage was at the Mac Donald’s and then it moved to Panmure in the 1970’s.

This Monday, Room six and I had an experience we’ve never experienced before. After a few moments at the beginning of the day, the two instructors came into Room 6 and they introduced themselves. Their names are  Kate and Kyla, and they were from Auckland Transport, going around schools like mine to teach students bicycle safety and how to manoeuvre a bike using gears.

Kate and Kyla first taught us how to wear proper gear like fluorescent bright clothes and proper shoes that protect our feet. Kate and Kyla also taught us how to check if there are cracks in our helmets and to check if the four S’s are not damaged. The four S’s are the shell, straps, styrofoam and stickers. The sticker tells you if it’s a suitable helmet for cycling.

After that, we lined up along the fence, from shortest to tallest. Then  we got our bicycles that suited everyone. After that, Kate and Kyla taught us to use the: ‘ABCD and Q check.’ The A stands for Air, B stands for Brakes, C stands for Chain and control, D stands for Drop Test and Q stands for quick release.

After we checked our bicycles, the people who didn’t know how to ride a bicycle went with Kate and the people who knew how to ride a bicycle went with Kyla. I went with Kyla. Then Kyla taught us to keep two fingers on the brakes and slowly and gently press the brakes when we need to stop.

After that, we went and practised manoeuvering the bicycle while slowly pressing the brakes. Then, we practised doing turning and stop signs with our arms. After all of that, we also learned how to use the gears. Then we tested the gears while pedaling because otherwise they will break. The most favourite part I enjoyed is testing the gears.