Netball Games.

Kia ora  readers well first of all I'm going to talk about Waikawa Bay school netball games. We are actually doing pretty good especially for four five and six graders. Anyway back to the point.  Our first game was against Blenhiem Mayfield and it was sad because we lost our first game. Our coach was really disappointed, because we had also been doing really well at the practices.

This term has actually been really great. We have already  won three games in a row, our last game was against Springlands. We won that game five -two, it was so much fun because I kept stepping  and the Umpire only noticed once, that was so funny. The other Team was also doing amazingly  well.  Waikawa Bay had already won two games before that. WOW what a lot of fantastically well played games.  A few people on my team had injuries at first but they have recovered .

Cross Country Trainning

It's the beginning of school term and horror of all horrors, Cross Country in three weeks! Training started immediately, with a class fitness circuit and lots of kids found out what it meant to have sore muscles! Then in the afternoon we had to jog round the school.  We all were soooo tired by the time the bell rang that I think most of us probably fell into bed that night.                     Two years ago I used to cry my whole way around the cross country, but I have grown up and last year I set goals, I kept a smile on my face the whole way round the course and came in first equal Year 5 girl.  

Karaka Point History

A long time a  go  maori lived at Karaka  Point.  They lived in whare which were made  of harekeke, tree  branches and tree trunks.  Then when an enemy tribe attacked the Karaka Point tribe will know because they will have look outs.  Once the tribe lands on the beach the tribe on the hill throw rocks at the enemy tribe.  The injuries would have been really bad maybe even  broken  bones. 

Room 2 has been learning about the history of Waikawa Bay.   Waikawa Bay is in Picton, New Zealand and was home to Maori tribes such as the Ngatimamoe who once owned Karaka Point.

Ngatimamoe built forts and threw rocks off the cliff to defend the pa from raiding tribes. 

Karaka point was used to protect the Ngatimamoe in war time.  In 1850 the New Zealand government bought Waitohi from Ropoama, so he moved his people to Waikawa, typhoid killed most of his people.  In 1920 Waikawa Pa School was burnt to the ground by an arsinist.   During World War 2 in Waikawa Bay was well protected from the enemy by Navy, Army and Air Force because Queen Charlotte Sound had an air craft hanger and two war ships.  Today Waikawa has changed a lot.      

Kiwi

The Kiwi is a New Zealand icon aand it is a endangered species. There are eleven types of kiwi... 

there is the Little Spotted Kiwi, Brown Kiwi, Rowi, Great Spotted Kiwi, Haast Tokoeka and Southern Tokoeka.

The biggest Kiwi is the Great Spotted Kiwi at 45 cm long, the size of a Turkey and the smallest Kiwi is the Little Spotted Kiwi at 25 cm long the size of a Bantam.

There are only 78,000 Kiwis left in New Zealand. They are found in North land, Coromandel, South land,west coast and Stewart Island and they live in forest and on mainland islands.

There body features are claws, bill ,feathers, whiskers and long strong powerful legs. The Kiwi can't fly so they run from predators.  There predators are stoats, ferrets, cats and humans driving cars.

How Well Does A Kiwi Smell?

We read a book today called "How well does a kiwi smell?", it really interesting did you know that the kiwi  can smell really well according to Bernice Wenzel, a scientist who did some kiwi experiments.  The kiwi has one of the best noses in the world.  Bernice Wenzel has proven that the kiwi can smell  worms really well in the dirt.  It can smell the food without tasting it.  First they put food in the small little ice-cream cone shape, then they put soil in the little cones there are three aluminium  cones and the soil fills up to about two centimeters before the top. Then they put food, like worms and huhu grubs,  they put mesh over the three tubes to stop the kiwi tasting the soil.  It was really interesting it was the most interesting book ever.  Check it out in the New Zealand School Journal Number 1 1989 part 3 I recommend this book from Nico Van Beek.

Ashers Time At Waikawa

My time at Waikawa Bay School was awesome! I came in 2008 and joined Mrs Eastons class and we learned about Margaret Mahy, an author. One year later I was in Mrs Parsons class. It has been the best class in the world! We were learning about World War One and Two, it was really cool. We all learned the poem called In Flanders Fields. Sadly tomorrow I am leaving to go back to England. I really really like this school and could never ask for a better one.