Whareroa farm visit

On Friday 17th of June my class and room 18 went to Whareroa farm. To get there we took a bus. The ride was pretty boring. When we got there we had to go inside a small building, we sat down in lines you were either group A B C or D. I was in group B with Krystal’s mum. We had to sit down while a person talked to us, when she had finished talking we were told what we were going to do as our first activity. My group had to stay in the small building because we had to learn about streams and what makes streams healthy. When we had finished discussing healthy streams we walked down to the stream. (Whareroa stream) At the stream we had to use a net to collect river animals, Josh and Stace caught a fish. Me Chloe and Grayce caught an uncased caddis, a cased caddis, one worm and 10 amphipods, and then Mr Corlett told us that it was our turn to walk up the hill.

Once we had walked about halfway up the hill Mr Corlett jumped up onto the side of the path and then fell off that was funny. When we got to the top of the hill it was freezing. After we got back it was lunch then we did orienteering and after that we walked along a creek, looked at fungi  and a dead wild cat. Then it was time to go home. By Jessie.

Pharazyn Reserve trip
On Thursday 9th of June me, my class and 10 people from Rm 19 went to Pharazyn reserve. We had to get to school early because our bus left at 9am. After Mr Corlett finished the role we got on the bus I sat beside Krystal with Chloe in front of us we played eye-spy with Mr Corlett.

When we got there Rob (one of the people organising the planting.) talked about some of the plants that we would be planting like the tuka tuka tree and that we would go on a walk after planting. Then we got a buddy and started planting. Me and chloe pulled the bag off the tree, put it in the ground with the fertilizer tablet and covered it with the sandy earth then stepped on it. We did that to 4 other plants, then we had to wash our hands.

While I was waiting this person gave me some soap, it was more like sandpaper soap but it smelled weird. The water was ice cold. After I washed my hands I had to sprint to the others because they were already on the walk, it didn’t take long to find them it was a very short walk but it had a good view, I saw a pukeko walking on a pile of sticks. Once we were on the bus again I sat with Krystal with Chloe still on the seat in front of us, and we played eye-spy again. When we got back to school it was morning tea.
By Jessie.

Matariki at Whakarongotai Marae.

On Thursday 2nd of June my school went down to Whakarongotai Marae to celebrate Matariki. Unfortunately my teacher Mr Corlett was ill, so Miss Lumsden was in the class. Miss Lumsden took the role then we walked over to the Marae. When we got there me and the kapa haka group entered the Marae.

We put our bags behind a statue and got into our lines. Then the powhiri started, one of the people at the marae started to do a chant in Maori. Then the group of waikanae school people, led slowly by Miss Lake and three others who were carrying our tukutuku panels responded, by Miss Lake who also did a Maori chant. Then the kapa haka group and me performed te waka and Mr Campbell presented the Marae people with a small rectangle thing that had pictures of the tukutuku panels. Then some of the adults did a hongi with the Marae people. Then we went back to school, had our morning tea and lunch.

After that we went back to the Marae and did the activities that were there. I walked around with my friend Chloe. We looked inside the Wharenui, then we went and looked at Miss Gundermans helicopters, then we looked at the paper folding place, then we looked at the colouring place but we decided we’d make lanterns instead. When I was just finishing someone came and told us that the class was waiting by the gate. Chloe hadn’t finished though she insisted she bring everything she needed to finish. While I was walking me and a person spotted a car with the number plate I l1ke beef. When we got back we had two stories, in the middle of the second one someone came around to tell us that the kapa haka people who would definitely be performing at mahara gallery were having a practice. When the practice was finished we found that they weren’t there, Grayce and Cara who were there told us they’d gone to the top field. But they weren’t there so we went to the court outside rooms 18 and 19. Though I didn’t feel like playing, so I just watched. When the bell rung Miss Lumsden said a mini goodbye then we went got our bags and went home.      

By Jessie :)