Possum Inquiry

What Do I Already Know?

Possums are pests. 

They eat native bush and birds eggs.

They are Nocturnal

They live in forests

They harm the forests

Their screams sound human-like

Questions: Why does everyone hate them?

Would they attack you?

How long do they live?

My Research

There are 50-70 million 

They Infect cattle with the disease Bovine Tuberculosis

They Weigh 2-5 kilograms

2/3 of NZ possums live in the North Island

They are hunted for their fur

They eat 2100 tons of bush a night

They also eat flowers, so no seeds spread

They eat the eggs of the Keruru, Kiwi, Harrier Hawk, Fantail, MuttonBird, and the Tui.

The short-tailed bat eats a plant that the possum eats

Sailors from North America introduced the possum to NZ. 

I hope this Inquiry helped you learn about possums and how they damage our forest. 

Whare

Matua Grant came to our Rimu Hui and told us a few things about the Whare. Here is my blog post about what he told us. Enjoy.





Te whare wananga o Te Maro

The whare is like a body. The long piece of wood that runs along the top of the Whare is called Tahuhu, the backbone.

Heke ribs The smaller pieces of wood that come off the Tahuhu are called the Heke, the Ribs.

The outside pillars represent arms.

The inside is like the inside of a body.




The wooden figures outside of the Whare represent three Iwi. The top is from Takitimu Waka. The middle one is from Matua. The one on the bottom Is from Ngati Pukenga. They hold a rope which represents the houses of Tauranga Intermediate. The nails in the head of the one on the top is used by carvers to represent hair. Statues like this always face North, as thats the way the sun rises.






He also told us about the carving outside the classrooms of Matai. The head represents an ancestor, and the arms branch out from the sides. The paintings also represent the different classes. There is a tuna, a crab. A mako, shark. And an Eel. Then there is the Tuatara. They are the names of the classrooms in Matai.

Valentines Day

St Valentines was a Roman priest who was secretly organising weddings for soldiers. He was jailed then sentenced to death by the King on February 14th AD 270. We exchange cards, candy, gifts or flowers, with our special valentines. A special valentine is someone that you love.


Americans spend up to 3.6 billion dollars on Valentines gifts each year. 50 million roses are sold each year on Valentines Day. 73% of people who buy flowers for Valentines day are men and 27% are women.15% of the US women send themselves flowers on Valentines day. Eros is the greek god of love and his roman form is Cupid.

Waitangi day

Why are these people carrying this banner?

I found out some facts about the history of Waitangi Day. Let me share the information I found with you. 

The Waitangi Treaty was signed on the Sixth of February, 1840.

It became official in 1934.

Afterwards, It became a Holiday in 1974.

It was signed by many Maori Tribes, and 240 people.

There were a few English men that witnessed this being signed; James Bussby, Henry Williams, Richard Taylor, John Mason, Samuel Ironside, and finally James Stuart Freeman. 

There were Nine copies of the Treaty made.

People protest to remind the government to pay back the land they stole. 

The treaty was made to symbolise peace between the Maori and the Brittish. 

Thank you for taking your time to read what I collected. 

Book Review

Book Review LINK

^-^

Even More Writing

 A Winter Tradgedy

Ruby barked, her white pelt flying in the wind, her brown spots dancing on top of it. She tugged on her lead, dragging me roughly towards the beach. I could barely hold on! I felt my hands weaken on the leash and clutched at it helplessly. It slipped out, me struggling to catch up to her already as she ran off. “Ruby! Come here!” I yelled.

She ignored me and raced towards the waters edge, urging it to chase her. The wind slapped my face with invisible hands and the tangy taste of salt caught on my tongue. The beach was deserted, it being winter and all, and I wasn’t in the mood for getting wet. “Ruby!” I yelled again, exasperated. Her ears perked up, listening then she started sulkily stomping back. Suddenly a small flash of black caught my eye, and Rubie’s too, as she stopped walking towards me, and raced off after the small dog that had raced into the waters edge.

He seemed almost to be saying “Come on Ruby, I dare you to go in deeper.”

I looked up at the angry clouds above me, and had second thoughts about coming out here. I glanced up at the dogs, afraid of what I might see.

What I did see was the sand turning up, the water going as black as night. Ruby was a rocket I couldn’t stop. Not now anyway. I saw her going in deeper, her legs lifting off the ground. A wave formed on the horizon and I gasped, sensing a storm arising. It came closer, and Ruby gave a small yelp of fear as she was pulled out with the current, towards the growing wave. I saw her little legs spin helplessy underneath the surface and I sat down on a log, watching my poor dog be washed away. After a while, she met the wave, and it came down on top of her with a CRASH! I watched her being jumbled around like a piece of  plastic and then washed closer to ground, then pulled away again, a cat playing with a mouse. I shivered, the cold getting to my bones. I pulled my jacket over my shoulders and watched my small dog being tossed around. Then I remembered the other dog, the black one. I ran up to it, and pleaded with it, stupidly. “Oh, please dog! Save my little  Ruby!”

It cocked it’s head, then started trotting away, off the beach. The small glimmer of hope in my heart died down as Ruby floated away, out of sight. I put my head in my hands and cried, ashamed that I didn’t save her, that now she would die, and it was all my fault.

More Writing

A day at the beach

SC: Exciting verbs, Adverbs, and adjectives

      Use one Simile, one metaphor,  onomatopoeia and personification

      Alliteration

I made soft footprints in the crisp sand as I strolled towards the crystal clear water. The sun gave my skin a bronze colour. The water lapped around me peacefully as I waded in. My surfboard glided on the surface, and I saw a wave form out in the Hawaiian ocean. My glistening blond hair shone like the sun, and my muscles rippled beneath my olive skin. I heard the wave punch the surface with a CRASH and I paddled in further, anticipating the next wave. I saw it form on the horizon, beautiful like a glass vase. It came nearer, and when I was almost face to face to it I quickly ducked underneath the water. It was like I was frozen in time. My surfboard slowly glided through the clear water. I saw beautiful fish, swimming majestically past me in a bouquet of colour. I tasted the sharp tang of salt on my tongue and felt the water lift my hair up. With my fingers I propelled myself forward and glided for a second, smiling.  The sparkling sand turned underneath me, and I heard the water crash above me, then I shot up quickly, a torpedo shooting up, until I hit the surface, then sun reflecting on the glistening water drops, crawling caterpillars on my back. I started to paddle back to shore with my prune fingers, and vowed to myself that I would come back the next day.

You can do it Team!

SC: Exciting verbs, Adverbs, and adjectives

      Use one Simile, one metaphor,  onomatopoeia and personification

      Alliteration

3,2,1, GO! I yelled out, giving the order to throw. Colourful balls flew through the air around me, and adrenaline raced through my blood. I drew my arm back, a ball in my hand. I felt my muscles tighten, and then I pushed my arm forward quickly. I let the ball go, and I watched it fly through the air. It hit someone’s head with the ball, and they threw the ball on the ground in frustration. A ball came flying through the air at me, it screamed at me as it went past and I bent my back to the side. WHOOSH I felt the ball fly past me. I felt like superman, proud as I realised my team-mates thinning out. I was one of the last ones left! I smiled happily, then bent down to pick up a ball rolling past my feet. I threw it with such force, that the person I hit fell onto the ground, clutching their stomach. They slunk slowly off the course, gutted that they had been hit. I bent down to pick up a ball, quickly, but when I was coming up a ball hit me on the leg. “No!” I yelled out as I realised what had happened. I was a mouse, slowly shuffling off to the ever growing line. I watched in desperation as my team was slowly taken out. When there was one person left, the opposing team took all the balls and threw them, most hitting her,  making her cry. She flopped to the ground. I watched her with sympathy, then congratulated the team half heartedly. “Good game.”