Summer Learning Journey Day 1

Summer Learning Journey
Day 1

Week One: In the Beginning (1800-1870) Cool Kiwi Fact #1: Did you know that the Māori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa? Loosely translated this means ‘land of the long white cloud.’ Day 1: Arriving in New Zealand… Activity 1: The First Settlers It is widely believed that the first people to arrive in New Zealand came from Polynesia. Most historians believe that they landed in New Zealand over 700 years ago. Although they were originally from many different countries, these settlers learned to live together and, eventually, formed their own distinct culture known as ‘Māori.’  Māori have their own language, traditions, and culture. Follow this link to read a short story about a famous man in Māori mythology – Maui. On your blog, post three facts that you learned about this interesting man. What other stories have you heard about Maui? Three facts that I've learned about this interesting man? 1. That Maui will teach them and prove them how good he is fishing. 2. When one night Maui was alone and began weaving a strong fishing line from flax. 3. When Maui dreamed of going fishing with his other brothers. What other stories have I heard about Maui 1. Maui's grandmother gave him a special hook for him to go fishing. 2. He tiptoed to his other brothers boat and the next they the brothers went off with the boat and they didn't realise the Maui was inside the boat and Maui just stayed. Activity 2: Setting Sail The first settlers to come to New Zealand must have been really brave! They had to leave their original homes and sail thousands of miles across the ocean on a special boat called a ‘waka’ to reach New Zealand. Imagine that you were on board one of the wakas. On your blog, write a short letter to a friend telling them about your voyage to New Zealand. In the letter be sure to tell them how you feel about moving to a new country. If it was me, I would have felt really nervous… If it was me, I would go and talk and greet people and I would have felt excited. Bonus Activity: Waka Ama To this day, the people of New Zealand still use waka. Instead of using their waka to transport them from one place to another, they sometimes use waka in special events and in sporting competitions such as Waka Ama. Both boys and girls compete in Waka Ama boat races. Watch this short video of a Waka Ama race. On your blog tell us whether you would like to be in a Waka Ama race one day. Why or why not? I would not because i do not like sailing and my hands will get tried and my team will lose if I joined. BONUS POINTS: 10