Winter Learning Journey

During the holidays I took part in the Winter Learning Journey.  The topic was a Kiwi road trip. We were exploring around New Zealand and we did lots of different activities. Each day there was two activities and a bonus activity. I really enjoyed doing this because I was doing reading and writing at home in a fun way. By doing that some people get prizes at the start of this term. There were 6 prizes given away because our school was so good. The 1st place comers were Daniel and Oh Hsen. Then, in 2nd place came Alex and AJ. Eric and Ofa came 3rd place. Nazella also got a prize for doing the best out of the girls during the Winter Learning Journey. All the other students who took part got a certificate. I think I am going to try really hard to get a prize during the Summer Learning Journey. I am also going to thank Rachel and her team for making this happen. 

Winter Learning Journey: Day 7 - Bonus Activity

For this activity we had to  post a video or write a description about your week. I chose to write a description.

During the Winter Learning Journey it has been so fun exploring New Zealand. I learnt that Hector Dolphins are not found anywhere around world just New Zealand. The activity I liked the most was researching a famous New Zealander because I learnt many things I did not know before. The activity I did not really like was writing a poem because I am not the good at poems. I was really surprised that 3/4 of New Zealand's population lives in Auckland.

Winter Learning Journey: Day 7 - Activity 2

Activity 2: After you have finished up in Taupo, it is time to hop back in the car and head for Rotorua – a town where will have the chance for some much needed rest and relaxation. In fact, you will visit the Tarawera Bush Pool – a geothermal hot pool that is located in the middle of a forest. The warm water in the pool comes from underneath the ground. After a few hours in the pool you feel really relaxed. On your blog, post a picture of yourself doing something relaxing.

I feel relaxed when I am playing on my PS4. My favorite game is UFC 2 because I am really good at it. For those who don't know what UFC is, it is a mixed martial arts game.

Winter Learning Journey: Day 7 - Activity 1

Activity 1: While in Taupo, you go for a walk around the lake and you notice pieces of rubbish floating in the water. You also notice that there is rubbish on the footpath. As you know, it is really important to put rubbish in the bin and keep New Zealand clean and beautiful for generations to come.

With that in mind, it is time think about what you can do to keep New Zealand beautiful. Use your imagination and come up with three things that you could do to make your neighbourhood more beautiful. Post your list on your blog ☺

1. Make signs saying "No Littering"

2. Give every house extra bins.

3. Why litter when you can recycle.

Winter Learning Journey: Day 6 - Bonus Activity

Bonus Activity: As part of the Matariki festival, there is a two day Kapa Haka competition. The haka is a traditional war dance that Maori performed before going into battle. The haka is now performed by children/adults in the community and by professional sporting teams, including our national rugby team, the ‘All Blacks.’  The All Blacks have performed various haka over the years. Watch the following three haka videos (1 – 3) and, on your blog, list the haka videos in order from best (#1) to worst (#3). There are no right or wrong answers ☺

#1. World Cup 2015 – All Blacks vs Argentina

#2. Rugby World Cup 2011- All Blacks vs France

#3. All Blacks vs South Africa 2016

Winter Learning Journey: Day 6 - Activity 2

Activity 2: After visiting Shag Point, you hop back in the van and drive all the way up the east coast of the south island until you reach the town of Picton. You get out of the van and onto the Interislander ferry. It travels back across the Cook Strait to Wellington. Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand and every winter the city hosts a huge Matariki festival to celebrate the Maori New Year. This year part of the festival is being held at Te Papa, a big museum in Wellington.

Read about the Matariki festival at Te Papa.  There are so many different things to see and do at the festival this year. On your blog, tell us about three of the events. You can choose any three events that you wish.

1. You can see the Matariki light trail behind Te Oro
2. Lots of traditional dances on stages.
3. Watch the fireworks.

Winter Learning Journey: Day 6 - Activity 1

Activity 1: Let’s imagine that you were on the first waka to arrive at Shag Point. You had never been to New Zealand before and you had no idea what to expect. Write a poem describing how you would have felt when you arrived in New Zealand. Would you have been excited or scared? I would have felt pretty nervous, I reckon…

The waka sits in front of me.

One step after another I go in the waka.

There's no one to be seen, just me. 

As rain falls upon me, I cover my self with a blanket.

Hours go by, then I see land.

It was so beautiful.

I felt as once all was the best. 

Winter Learning Journey: Day 5 - Bonus Activity

Bonus Activity: You and your tour group have enjoyed your day in the mountains but you’re ready for a change of scenery. You ask Curious Kiwi to take you to Central Otago, a region of the south island with lots of rolling hills and flat, brown grasslands. While in Central Otago, you decide to join the Otago Central Rail Trail – a 150 km long cycle trail. Curious Kiwi and I (Rachel) cycled the Rail Trail in April and we loved it!

On your blog, tell us whether you would like to cycle the Otago Rail Trail one day. Does it sound like fun? Why or why not?

I think I would cycle the Otago Rail Trail because it would be fun and it would be a great opportunity for me to get some exercise and get fit.

Winter Learning Journey: Day 5 - Activity 2

Activity 2: After the adventure at The Lewis Pass Scenic Reserve, you are pretty happy to get back into the shuttle van and continue with your road trip. Over the next few hours you travel up and over the Southern Alps, arriving in the city of Christchurch to eat lunch. You have a delicious meal at a café downtown and then hop back into the van to travel to Twizel, a small town at the base of Aoraki-Mt Cook. Mt Cook is the largest mountain in New Zealand. It is also the mountain where Sir Edmund Hillary trained for his climb up Mt Everest – the tallest mountain in the world. Sir Edmund Hillary is very famous because he was the first person to ever reach the top of Mt Everest!

Now it is your turn to learn about a famous New Zealander. Use Google to research one famous person from New Zealand and then create a DLO and post it on your blog. Be sure to include: 1. The name of the famous person, 2. Where they were born, 3. Why they are famous, and 4. Two other interesting facts about them.

I chose to research Russell Crowe. He has starred in many films such as Man Of Steel, Gladiator and ect.

Winter Learning Journey: Day 5 - Activity 1

Activity 1: After a few hours in the car, you, your group and Curious Kiwi arrive at your first stop – The Lewis Pass Scenic Reserve. It is a beautiful, regional park located at the base of the Southern Alps. You and your group get out of the van and follow Curious Kiwi. He is going to lead you on a short walk through the park. As you start walking, you notice a really cool looking tree on the side of the trail and you stop to take a closer look. When you turn back, the group (and Curious Kiwi) is nowhere to be found. Eek! You are all alone in the middle of a strange forest.

For this activity write a short story (8-10 sentences) about what might happen next. Please be sure to include lots of details about what you might be feeling, seeing and doing after you realise that you are all alone in the forest...

It was a very nice day, my scout group and I were walking through the forest. I saw a Kea and went to check it out and then suddenly there was no one around me. I was LOST. I screamed for help but no one answered. I went looking around, my throat was dry and I needed water. But the heat was making it harder for me. Then instantly I faint and knock my head against a tree. I was out for hours then I hear someone say my name. First I thought I was hearing things but it got closer and closer. Then I saw my father. I was so happy to see him.

Winter Learning Journey: Day 4 - Bonus Activity

Bonus Activity: Hector’s dolphins are a very special native animal found only in New Zealand. They are the smallest dolphin in the world measuring 1.5 metres long and they are quite rare. Sadly, many Hector’s dolphins are killed every year when they get caught in large fishing nets and can’t escape. Some people have argued that fishermen shouldn’t be allowed to fish in Farewell Spit in order to protect the dolphins living there. What do you think? On your blog, tell us whether you think that fishing in Farewell Spit should be banned (stopped).

I think that the fishermen should get banned from the farewell spit because if this keeps on going on the Hector Dolphins might get extinct. Also there are many other places that the fishermen could go to catch there fish.

Winter Learning Journey: Day 4 - Activity 2

Activity 2: After a morning of learning about beached whales in Golden Bay, you and your group are driven to a nearby town, Nelson, to watch a special movie called ‘Whale rider.’ It is a famous movie about a young girl who was born and raised in New Zealand. Watch the following movie trailers for Whale Rider: Whale Rider trailer #1 and Whale Rider Trailer #2 and then write a summary of the movie on your blog. What is it about? Be sure to also give the movie a rating out of 5 based on the trailer [1 = bad movie, 2 = okay movie, 3 = pretty good, 4 = good movie, 5 = excellent movie].

The movie is about a girl and her twin brother. The twin brother was meant to be the new chief of the tribe but unfortunately he dies when he's born. There is a rule that only male's are able to become chief but the twin brother died so the girl becomes the chief. I think I would rate it the movie 2 out of 5 because it is not a movie the I would want to watch.

Winter Learning Journey: Day 4 - Activity 1

Activity 1: When you arrive in the south island, Curious Kiwi rents a shuttle van and drives your group from Picton (the town where the ferry dropped you off) to a beautiful beach on the opposite side of the island. The beach area is called Golden Bay and, at one end of the bay, is a stunning area called Farewell Spit.

Farewell Spit has been in the news recently as a number of whales accidentally swam into the spit and became stuck on the beach. They were unable to swim back to the ocean because the water was too shallow. Many local people tried to save the ‘beached’ whales. Please follow this Farewell Spit link to learn more about what happened. On your blog, describe what the local people did to try and save the beached whales.

1. Keep the whales wet.

2. Placed wet towels on the whales.

3. Pour buckets of water on the whales.

Winter Learning Journey: Day 3 - Activity 2

Activity 2: After your great visit to the Otorohanga bird house it is time to hop back onto the bus and head towards the Hawke’s Bay – your resting place for the evening. Hawke’s Bay is a beautiful region of New Zealand. It is known for its wineries and gorgeous scenery. When you arrive in Napier, the largest city in the region, you go for a walk through Waitangi Regional Park and notice that many of the leaves on the native trees have been damaged. Curious Kiwi tells you that they were damaged by possums, non-native predators, from Australia. People in New Zealand are working hard to trap and kill these predators. Their goal is to remove all of the possums (and other predators) by 2050. Go to the ‘Predator Free 2050 website’ to read more about their work.

Possums are really bad because they eat the Kokako birds eggs. It is also bad because the Kokako is endangered. They have disease's which can spread and kill many other animals. The eat around 21 thousand leaves every night, that does a lot of damage to our native trees.

Winter Learning Journey: Day 3 - Activity 1

For this Activity I had to choose a New Zealand bird that would like to adopt and then get 5 facts about it. The bird I chose was a Kea.

1. Did you know that the scientific name of a Kea is Nestor           Notabilis.
2. Are you aware that the Kea is 48 centimeters long.
3. You probably don't know that Kea's nest in native forests.
4. A Kea is an Omnivore.
5. The population of a Kea is 3 to 7 thousand.

Winter Learning Journey: Day 2 - Bonus Activity

Bonus Activity: When you finish your interview with Laura, you decide to keep on interviewing people. For this activity, your task is to conduct a real interview with an actual member of your family. Please ask them to think about their five (5) favourite things to do in the out-of-doors. They can be things that they enjoy doing on land or in the water. Post the list of outdoor activities on your blog.

I chose to interview my sister Mahdiya.

1. Go swimming.

2. Play Football.

3. Play with friends.

4. Play on the playground.

5. Play on the trampoline.

Winter Learning Journey: Day 2 - Activity 2

Activity 2: As an island nation, New Zealand is completely surrounded by water. It is the perfect place for people who like to swim or to sail! While in Dargaville, recovering from your busy day of sightseeing, you notice a number sailboats going by. One of the boats is manned by a young German girl named Laura Dekker. At the age of fourteen she sailed around the world the entire world by herself. You can watch a short video clip about her adventures here: Laura Dekker sailing trip.   

Let’s imagine that you had the chance to interview Laura while in Dargaville. On your blog post five questions that you would ask her.

1. What got you into sailing?

2. What will you do when you retire?

3. Do you ever feel home sick when your off at another country?

4. Have you had any serious injuries during your sailing career?

5. Is there anybody else apart from you who sails in your family?

Winter Learning Journey: Day 2 - Activity 1

Activity 1: After a very busy day of sightseeing you and your group drive from Tane Mahuta to your hotel in Dargaville. When you arrive you decide to sit down and record your thoughts in your travel diary.

Before you start writing, take a minute to read more about Rangitoto island, Karekare beach and Tane Mahuta.  On your blog, tell us which of the three places you most enjoyed visiting and why.  

I chose rangitoto island as my favorite place because it has plenty of activites for me to do, such as snorkeling, fishing kayaking and more. The best thing about it is the amazing view.

Winter Learning Journey: Creating My Own Flag - Day 1 - Bonus Activity

This is the flag I have created for my bonus activity. For this activity I had to create a flag of my choice using a site called flag designer. In the flag I have a red star and black and blue stripes. The red star represents the southern cross. The blue stripes represents us being an island nation, and lastly the black stripes represent the All Blacks.

Winter Learning Journey: Five Favorite Landmarks - Day 1 - Activity 2

For my second Winter Learning Journey activity I watched a Tourist video for Auckland to learn about the awesome things that we can see and do. Then I had to choose 5 places I would want to check out. My favorite places that I would go to is Rainbows End, Sky Tower, Piha Beach, Auckland Museum and Mt Eden.