DAY 4: More than Meets the Eye

Activity 1: Scaling New Heights [4 points]
Aotearoa New Zealand is a country of mountains and valleys, dense forests, and sparkling oceans. At the centre of the South Island sits the tallest mountain in the country, Aoraki Mt Cook. It is the place where Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to reach the top (summit) of Mt Everest, learned how to climb mountains. It was pretty difficult for him, at first, but Sir Edmund Hillary did not give up and, in 1953, he achieved this dream of climbing Mt Everest. His face can now be found on the New Zealand $5 note!
Let’s imagine that you met Sir Edmund Hillary in real life and were able to interview him.
On your blog, post five questions that you would like to ask Sir Edmund Hillary about his life.

Who trained you to be a climber?

Who was your inspiration?

Who do you think supported you to be who you are right now?

How do you feel about what you have achieved?

Was there someone there supporting you on while you were climbing?

Activity 3: Ice, Ice Baby [10 points]

Antarctica is the world’s coldest continent. Even though it is made up of ice, it is also the driest continent in the world. In fact, it hasn’t rained there for nearly 2 million years! It is home to many animals such as whales, seals, birds, and fish. There are no permanent human residents (people who live
 there all the time) in Antarctica, however scientists do visit and stay in Antarctica for a while to study it.


This year the airline, Air New Zealand, filmed their safety video in Antarctica. They used some fabulous actors from Hornby Primary School in Christchurch. Just like on aeroplanes, we also need to keep safe and be smart online. We need to think about the type of information we are sharing online, who we are sharing information with, and how to have a positive digital footprint.

On your blog, make a copy of this footprint and, inside the footprint, explain how you create a positive, digital footprint. What do you do to stay smart online?.

Activity 2: North and South [4 points]
The country of New Zealand is made up of two main islands – the North Island and the South Island. Approximately 77% of the New Zealand population live in the North Island. Many of these people (including our Summer Learning Journey design team) live in Auckland city. Auckland is a great place to live with lots of amazing parks, beautiful waterways and stunning scenery to enjoy. It is also a busy,
 vibrant city with many cafes, museums, galleries and theatres to visit. I feel lucky to call Auckland my ‘hometown.’
Now it is time to think about your hometown. What is special about where you live? On your blog, describe your hometown. Be sure to include lots of describing words (adjectives) in your post.


 My Hometown is Auckland and what I like about it is that new houses are being built everywhere and also it has lot's of schools. Where students can learn and blog there things on there blog post and share it to the world.

Fabulous Ferns

Activity 2: Fabulous Ferns [4 points]

One of the most common plants found in New Zealand forests is the fern. It is a special, iconic symbol
of New Zealand. You will find pictures of ferns on the jerseys of many famous sporting teams in New Zealand, including the New Zealand All Blacks.
Did you know that many of these teams also have the word ‘fern’ in their name? Use your best researching skills to find three New Zealand sporting teams who use the word ‘fern’ in their title.

On your blog list three sports teams that have the word ‘fern’ in their title. Beside each team’s name, post a picture of their uniform. Then, at the bottom of your blog post tell us which of the three uniforms you like best and why.




Silver Ferns                                     
Black Ferns                             
Tall Ferns




My Favourite uniform is the black ferns uniform because it is my favourite sports at school.

WEEK 1: A Place to Stand

WEEK 1: A Place to Stand

Welcome to the first week of the Summer Learning Journey. For our first week, we are going to be learning all about the land habitats here in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is going to be a great adventure!

DAY 1: In the Beginning...


Activity 1: The Legend of New Zealand [4 points]

According to Māori mythology, much of Aotearoa New Zealand was formed when Māui, a powerful demigod, fished it out of the sea. Legend has it that Māui created a magical fish hook from the jawbone of his grandmother and that one day he took his hook, boarded a boat, and rode out into the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Once at sea, he threw his magical hook into the water and caught a fish. This ‘fish’ was actually the North Island of New Zealand! In honour of this legend, the North Island of New Zealand is sometimes referred to as Te Ika a Māui or ‘Māui’s fish’ and the South Island of New Zealand is sometimes referred to as Te Waka a Māui or ‘Māui’s canoe’.
To learn more cool facts about New Zealand, check out the Tourism NZ website. Read the fun facts posted on the website and choose your ‘Top 3.’ On your blog, post your ‘Top 3 Fun Facts’ about NZ.

New Zealanders are also called kiwis but kiwi is not a fruit. It is NZ's native flightless bird.

The Maori name of New Zealand is Aotearoa which means the land of the long whit cloud.

The official language of NZ is Maori and English.

DAY 2: Forest Life DAY 2: Forest Life

Activity 1: Giants Among Us [4 points]

New Zealand has a really special environment. Many of the plants and trees found in New Zealand are not found anywhere else in the world. These plants and trees are endemic to our country.  In New Zealand, one of the largest and longest living endemic trees is the NZ Kauri tree. Kauri are mainly found in three regions of New Zealand: the Coromandel, Auckland and Northland. The largest Kauri tree in the country is in the Waipoua Forest in Northland. It is called Tāne Mahuta. Some people refer to it as the ‘Lord of the Forest.’

Thousands of people go to visit Tāne Mahuta every year. Would you like to be one of those people who got to see Tāne Mahuta in real life? Why or why not?

On your blog, tell us whether you would like to go and visit Tāne Mahuta one day. Be sure to tell us why you do (or do not) want to visit this endemic tree. 

I want to visit Tane Mahuta One day Because it has Fascinating trees and plants and I want to learn how these tree began growing and who discovered them.