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.

 

                                                       

 

 

 

On Tuesday, the 1st of August, I was ready for school very early and for our first swimming lesson for the year. The things I packed were swimming shorts and a shirt and a towel. One of the things I was wondering was if it was going to be a notch harder than last year. After driving to school I wondered who was going to go first. The boys or the girls? I asked one of my friends, Marii and she said the boys and I did not expect that.

After changing I was ready to go to the bus which was taking us to the swimming lessons at “CLM The Bays.” Mrs Yumul told me that I should eat first for some reason but I didn’t really know why? After eating I went to Room 7 because Room 6 boys were going with the boys from Room 7 and 8.

In room 7 we played fun things like 20 questions, sadly I never got the chance to get the marker. After we played, we had to go to the bus to go to CLM The Bays. After the drive when we were there I didn’t bring goggles because my lenses had fallen out so I had to borrow one from the box. I went to the beginners because I thought that it was hard but it was really easy. The next day I went to ‘intermediate level’ because that was the next level up.

When I went to Intermediate, it was actually easy because I have swum for more than 2 years. After a week or two I went to advanced because my friends said it is easy and they forced me to do it. When I was in the advanced class it was actually pretty easy. Then when I was in week two on Thursday, we did a test. I was one of the first ones to do the test but I passed. Then the people older than me did the test after me. Some failed because they thought that it was funny but it is pretty serious. I would like to share my  story but I would like to end it because I want to end this story now. Bye!

 

 

 

Matariki is a holiday only in New Zealand. It starts around the beginning of the Winter months. This year it was celebrated on the 14th of July. This year I learned about the legend of Tawhirimatea and how Matariki means ”the eyes of the god.”

  I also learned that Matariki is a cluster which is called Pleiades and how Aotearoa has always used the Gregorian calendar, which was from Pope Gregory, and now is used in most countries which celebrate Easter and Christmas.  Maori New Year is in July because this is when they get ready for the summer months ahead.

I was also making a calendar on the Filipino holidays. One of the activities I enjoyed is making a Matariki star by weaving it with wool; I would hope to make it again.

I am a juvenile person who has finished one hundred books even though I’ve never been to school. I have learned most of my knowledge from an elderly man who is a friend of mine and my father’s, Hideaway Tom. This elderly man is Fingerbone Bill. I love nature, I do everything in a carefree way.The world is my bedroom.

Yesterday we were having a Ki o rahi tournament. It was happening after morning tea and I was so pumped up! When I looked on the list,

we were in teams of our houses, Rimu, Rata, Totara and Kauri. I was playing for Rimu. When  we were watching the house teams play, it was Kauri versing Totara. There are two teams in Ki o rahi, Kioma and Taniwha. The Kioma team has to run and touch a Pou or two and try and score a try. It was also our first time to do a Kio rahi tournament. For the Taniwha team, you have to chase and rip the two tags of a Kioma person. The only way to score a point is to throw the ball / ki at the Tupu / rock.

It also counts when the Kioma guardians touch the tupu. The referee was coach Trey, I was benched for the first round watching. I was thinking which team would win and  which team I would cheer for. When it was the first round, Kauri won, now it was time for me to play. I used all of the tips and tricks I know to play the 1st  game. When it started, I was on the Taniwha team. The other team was on Kioma so they started first. There were 2 room 8’s in the enemy team and in my team there was 1 year 8 person so it was clearly rigged and a little unfair. One of the things that I notice is that my sister was not there.

The  strategy I saw the enemy team use was that the person kicks the ball to the guardian. Then the guardian passes it to the person who kicks the ball or if they are blocked they pass it to another person. This strategy is really good because sometimes you can’t predict what’s going to happen. When I tried to block, I did not know who the guardian was going to pass to. This made the game really easy because their team is stacked with good people and ours was only a little.

Later at the end of my match, we lost but we tried our best. The following score they got was 17 points and I got 15 points. After all of those matches it was lunchtime now. I was crying after my 1st match because the game was too unfair and I didn’t want anyone to notice me crying so I went to the toilet and washed my face, trying to make myself calm down. I was really lucky because I had self control and I felt so much rage that I almost made myself think that I will punch them for revenge.

Meanwhile at lunchtime I had calmed down and ate my lunch. After I ate my lunch I practiced to block the key from hitting the tupu and hitting the key at the tupu. I also practised how to step or dodge people from ripping my tags. I also had a 2nd match which made me happy. After lunchtime I was talking to my friends and watching the matches, (my match was the last match.) When it was my last match, one of the teachers, told me to put my tags on the hips, that way when I spin no one can rip my tags off.

I was Taniwha again, this time I knew what strategy Totara was doing. I went and blocked off the room 8s in their team. They went and touched 1 – 2 pous, we tried to rip their tags off but they touched the ground. It didn’t matter until my team and I got the ki. We tried hitting the tupu but they blocked it. When I got the ball I threw it under and for some reason it hit and I got a lucky shot. When it was my team and it turned out to be Kioma, we got so many points, I was also playing for Kauri. After that match  we won and I finally got revenge. When it was the points for the house teams, Rimu and Rata were 3rd which made me feel useless.

When  Totara was 2nd I was so happy because I wished for them to not be 1st, and the 1st one was Kauri. I was so happy because I was happy for them. I was thinking, maybe it was luck I gave them because I gave luck to my friend in Kauri. It was the end of the day and I needed to chill out there but there were too many problems we had to do in class. But I hope you liked this long story!