First of all, Rotorua is a breathtaking place with unreal sceneries, that you won’t believe will come to exist.

Because this is still in debate, a few will disagree with this topic, but I assure you that Rotorua is the better holiday place to go.

Firstly, to start off with, research has shown that the average daily cost of Taupo is $112 per person, including accommodation,(sometimes doubling the occupancy in the room when the traveller is sharing the room)  food, transportation and entertainment. Whereas the average daily cost in Rotorua per person is $92 which is not really expensive and doesn’t use a lot of cash or credit card.

Secondly, Data from “smh.com.au” indicates that though Taupo has a beautiful lake and outdoor activities, Rotorua has over 13 lakes surrounding the whole area , it’s less windy due to the warm climate, making the area have a variety of geothermal sightings. When you first visit Rotorua, your nose picks up the smell of sulphur. Now I know when we smell sulphur, we normally smell it from the rain and it’s not a pleasant one to inhale. Well in Rotorua, it’s normal because it’s a part of the attraction by it’s fascination and unique feature.(once you get used to it) Did you know that New Zealand is known in some parts of the world as “the shaky isles” due to the underground hot springs in Rotorua and also because New Zealand sits on the edge of the Rim of Fire. Its geothermal system is a long – lived product from the volcanism that came in the last centuries and thousands of years in the area.

 You even can find fresh water at the underground geysers in Rotorua. They are a big attraction of the famous volcano “Rotorua Caldera”  that only erupts once 280,000 years ago and never again or at least of how we predict.

Finally, last but not least  we know every region from landmarks to cities to neighbourhoods all the way back to the most well – known places, New Zealand has a lot of history and Rotorua one of them. Whakarewarewa is known as “the living Māori Village”. On the edge of Rot

orua’s township, it offers an experience of how Māori would’ve lived. When you arrive, you find cultural performances twice daily, a breath-taking tour of the traditional Māori village (which is usually open to public from 8:30 – 5:00 daily) , exhibits of handmade artefacts, singing-along with beautiful Waiata and being served  cooked hangi( from between noon and 2:00 pm daily) where the meat and vegetables is cooked

 

on a bed of hot stones in pit.  It’s a magical place to be, not just for one but for all who come and acknowledge Māori culture. Magical yet real enough to exist. From the geothermal views to the unreal underground hot springs, for people who are descendants of a line of ancestral Māori able to travel back in time to where Māori culture comes to life.

In the world nowadays, people don’t know much about the past, not even some iwi. Fortunately, in Rotorua you’re able to have a variety of opportunities to learn and be a indigenous Māori.

                 What is Maramataka?

Introduction

Maramataka is a Māori Lunar calendar. Which means it’s a calendar that they use for a moon phase every month. It’s confusing and new others though but here is some facts and info that may help.

 

What is really Maramataka?

If you look on google and search ‘what does “maramataka” mean’, it literally defines as ‘the moon turning’. It was a traditional way  Māori used to mark the year. Most iwi had 12 months and named each moon phase it’s own name (depending on the location you’re at) to mark the year.

 

How does it work?

A lunar month cycle lasts for 29.53 days and each night is given a name according to the Maramataka. Then the cycle starts over by a new moon which means the first night is Whiro, then Tirea and so on. The following names for the days of the Maramataka were taken by the number of iwi, only difference is the moon’s phases.

                                                    (Fun fact: The Maramataka named 29.53 nights and designed symbols next to them about how good was food gathering going to be.

For ex. Straight lines were meant good nights of fishing and block dots meant fishing with a torchlight. For Whiro, a line and dot meant both but A night such as Auta was indicated as unlucky in all forms and sources of food gathering.)

How is the Māori lunar calendar different to the calendar we use?

The Māori calendar is different because it follows the movements of the moon throughout each month rather than the sun. In tradition, they didn’t mark the months like we normally do but follows 2 seasons, summer and winter.

Conclusion

It’s very interesting and new to learn about this, naming each night with the movements of the moon, marking the months by seasons it’s so crazy to a calendar like that. I’m glad I now understand what the Maramataka is.

 

I’m a part of Enviro Tech 3 and Food Tech 7.1 during week 3/4.

Enviro Tech because you get to work in the garden, learn about plants and animals and make things such as a Bug Hotel.

The Challenging part is when you make the food and pulling out the weeds around the garden and the school.

I think we could do Marine Life, Tech that learns about aquatic animals, plants and people who might have sailed the Pacific Ocean(Kupe, Captain Cook, etc.) and I think the Teacher would be Ms Davis.

 

I saw on the television, the miraculous waves, tragic mud slides and homes being harmed and roughly touched by the salty waters. I heard the tremendous thunder rumbling in the gloomy sky. I smelt the rain pouring heavily onto our brick house. I touched my fingers against the window, watching the never ending drops. I tasted the comfort food that we had at our home since we couldn’t go anywhere in the floods during the horrid time.

Thunder and lighting was the loudest sound that could be heard in The Gardens. Outbreaks, power cuts, flooding homes and other disasters had been going on ever since the menacing twister Cyclone Gabrielle, when it started on a heavy rain around evening.

It was difficult for lots of families, stores, companies and schools, because of the flooding waves. Especially some people lost their lives during the event.

Now people are starting to rebuild houses and properties and reopening schools, including State Highway 35, who took many damage from the cyclone. So that’s why we are singing about the Highway 35 on next term, week 3 at the Kahu Assembly.

We entered in the hall, very quietly walked past the parents/caregivers and sat in our spots on the floor. I was quite squished and crowded by the two students beside me but at the same time I was fine. We sat through the whole thing watching the year 1’s, 2’s and 3’s home whanau tour videos, what’s great about their space, presented certificates to the prized people and to finish it, after the parents exit out of the doors we watched the ‘Fish And Chips Are For M’e video and head back to our space to finish up our SDL.

1. The ‘Fish And Chips Are Me’ because it was catchy and funny too.

2. Yes, some of them. I saw Maiya, my home whanau and my friends.

3. I think I did well but leading proudly, I’m not sure but I think so.

4. Maybe we could decorate a little bit the hall, just to give a pizzaz.

The first time I met my buddy, I felt nervous as I thought what would go wrong between my buddy and I. But lucky for me I was fine, we first played with the dominos, then we went inside and played with blocks. We were building towers and houses, and they were really tall. We didn’t do much when it was time to go back to the bleaches but we did have fun. I can’t wait to meet her again.

1. We played with blocks and dominos.
2. I felt nervous at first, but then I felt much more comfortable. I About my buddy, I’m not sure but I know she had a fun time.
3. You can help them with something they don’t know and to be a great buddy is to be patient with them, it will take time with your buddy.
4. I think we could do board games or make something out of materials.