Toki Pounamu google drawing

These are the kiwi and sparrow birds that I made on a google drawing. I hope you like them!

Summer vs winter in New Zealand

In my opinion, if I was a tourist and I was coming to New Zealand for a holiday, I would much rather go in the summer as opposed to winter and I have a few good reasons why.

Even though we live right next to Australia, New Zealand is not always the warmest. The Winters can get freezing and is still cold and rainy throughout Spring. Like right now. Unlike in summer, there are less free activities to do in New Zealand in the winter without freezing You can go skiing or snowboarding but that costs money to rent equipment or rent a place. And what if you don’t have the proper clothes for it? For a summer in New Zealand, you won’t even need thermals, but if you come in winter, it may cost money to buy the proper gear if you do not already have it. However, in summer, you can rent a cheap place, wear cheap clothes and spend all your time at a beach and be happy.

There are also more things to do in Summer. Some people might think that you can go skiing and everything in the winter, but you can’t in summer, but the weather changes so much here, you might not get the chance. One day, it could be perfect for skiing, but by the time you want to start, the weather could be too bad to ski. Or (though unlikely), the snow could melt too early. In some parts of New Zealand, it doesn’t snow anyway (at least, it isn’t meant to) like Greymouth. And what is the point of coming to New Zealand if you don’t come to Greymouth? Sure you visit the beach and go surfing in the winter, but it might not be very safe.

Summer is also the time for barbeques! In the summer, everybody love going down to the beach or the lake, chilling and having a nice BBQ and ice cream after you have had a swim.

In conclusion, I strongly recommend coming to New Zealand in summer. Or you can just come and live here.

It is wrong to fight.

Throughout history, people have fought. Over the smallest things, people have fought. But what has this achieved? Does fighting really improve anything? In my opinion, scraps and punch ups have no place what-so-ever in our modern society.

There is a difference between defending yourself against someone who just tried to punch you in the face, and being the one throwing the punch. If someone just tried to punch you, then you have all the right in the world to defend yourself. But if you started it, just stop and think for a minute. Will this actually help anything? If you decide to try to solve your problems using your words instead of fists, then you might just work things out. Talking will give you more time to calm down. It will also give you a chance to see the other persons point of view. But what if the other person is just provoking you. What if there is no argument to talk over? What if they are just insulting you and trying to get you to throw the first punch so they can fight back? Can you fight them then? The answer is still no. If you do, you will just be playing right into their hands. However, if you choose to ignore them, they will get frustrated and everybody will see that they are “the bad guy”.

Fighting someone can also create more problems instead of solving them. You may just think that it is just one little scrap, but it could turn into so much more. When you start attacking someone, your instincts will take over and you won’t hold back. What could start as a little argument over a tiny thing could lead to a trip to the hospital and possibly the end of a friendship or social status. All because you decided to throw a punch. Unfortunately, those are not the worst possible outcomes. So many more things could happen. Just imagine what life would be like if having a fight with someone was considered acceptable and normal whenever someone had a little argument with you?

If fighting was an appropriate thing to do, then humans would have made no progress at all in creating a peaceful world. If the only chance to win an argument was to be strong and be able to fight, then what would happen to any small person? People would focus so much time on being fit and strong, they wouldn’t have much time for anything else. I am not saying that this is a bad thing, but not if they did it for the sole purpose of winning an argument/ Think about all the amazing inventions that we have today. No doubt someone worked on them for hours a day. But if they didn’t have time for this because they were spending to much time making sure that they win their next fight. In short, human history would come to a standstill.

All in all, I think that fighting is absolutely useless. Fighting is a horrible thing to do that creates more problems than it solves and more often than not, results in horrible outcomes.

Term 3 reflection.

This term has been so eventful, I honestly can’t believe that it has just been one term. So many exciting things have happened that I just can’t fit it all into one reflection.



One of my favourite things that have happened this term would definitely be Cant-a-maths. It was an overnight trip to Christchurch with the 3 other year 8s and the team of 4 year 7s. We managed to fit a lot into the short time. First, we went for a quick swim as soon as we reached the holiday park. We then left for the competition. Altogether we didn’t do too bad with 50 points! After that, we went ice skating and had a great time. I wish that I could go on the same trip every year.



We also had speeches this term. Unlike in previous years, I knew what I was going to do my speech on. Annoying things that adults say! I spent a long time on it and I memorized the whole speech. I was actually really excited to present my speech this year. I made it into the school speech competition and I think that I did pretty good. I didn’t make it into rotary but the two who did were really good!



I think that I have made a good amount of academic progress this year as well. I have learnt a lot of things in maths and I even managed to complete the basic facts tests! We have also been doing some different things in reading. We have started a Reading log, so whenever we read outside of school, we put it on the reading log so we can see how much we have read. Reciprocal reading is another thing that we’ve been doing for reading. Reciprocal reading is good when everybody works together, but when people don’t, it can be a little frustrating as not much gets done.



Out of all of the great things that have happened this term, the lastest WPCA trip would have to be my favourite. A two-night trip to the Temple Basin ski area! We all had a great time. Twelve year 8s with a teacher, a former teacher, and other parents who came along as well. The trip up was painful but it was worth it. Honestly, I was horrible at skiing at first but I finally got the hang of it by the end of the first day. Yes, right at the end. I was a little bit annoyed that we had to go inside as soon as I learnt how to stop but it turned out that it was a good thing that we went inside because just a couple of minutes later, it started snowing. A lot. The two days were also really fun, but of course, we had to leave. If I could go back one day, I definitely would.



This term has probably been my favourite this year so far. I am really sad that this term is going to be one of my last at this school.

Skiing reflection.

I remember waking up that morning. I couldn’t believe it. It was finally Wednesday. The day that all thirteen year eights went skiing! I barely remember that morning. How could I remember the boring tasks of getting ready for school when such memorable events followed?

The morning at school went surprisingly fast. Before I knew it, I was piled in a car, loud music blaring. By the time We arrived at the bottom of the mountain, I already had a couple of stories to tell. I remember that I did quickly grow tired though. Honestly, the walk up that mountain was tiring! By the time I got up the mountain, I was wondering how I was going to ski! As soon as I made it into the lodge, I sat down and kicked my shoes off. Along with everyone else, I wolfed down a delicious lunch, ready to relax. However, we never really got to the relaxing bit as we were hurried to another part of the building to get our ski boots. I waited anxiously for mine while watching those who already had theirs enviously. By the looks on their faces, I could tell that it wasn’t going to be easy.

I soon found out that it wasn’t as soon as we reached the place that we were skiing. I slowly walked up the hill, falling over multiple times. The first trip down was painful. And also very quick compared to the time it took to get back up again! It went like that for most of the skiing time for that day. A slow walk up. Fast ski/fall down. Repeat. But finally, near the end, I actually did it! I went down, turned, and, most important, of all, I didn’t fall over! It was sad that we had to stop though but I was really looking forward to dinner!

I woke up at 6:30 the next morning. After a quick conversation with Rhea and Natasha, (who were in my room as well) we got up. Breakfast was simple. I just had some muesli, no milk as it was recently powdered milk and was still lumpy. I was going to try some, but the warnings of others scared me off. After a small number of dishes and some rounds of ping pong, we were off. We got our ski boots on, our skis over our shoulder and clumsily walked over to where we went skiing. My legs we tired but I was determined to use the Nutcracker today. After a few successes and failures, I was finally ready. I strapped a Nutcracker around my waist and stood in line. To use it, you just have to hold onto the rope which drags you forward and then fling the Nutcracker onto the rope and wait for it to drag you up the mountain. It sounds simple but it took a few goes to get it right. In the end, I did and had a great time going up and down the mountain. 

But as they say, time flies by when you’re having fun. Soon, due to bad weather, we had to go. Not just to our skis but to the lodge and mountain altogether. After a delayed start, we were on our way, back to the cars at the bottom of the mountain that dropped us off in the first place. The trip down may not have been as bad as the way up, but it was still tiring. When we got to the bottom, loaded our bags into the cars, took our jackets off and piled into the cars, I was almost ready to sleep. During the way back, my mind was buzzing with recent memories. The trip had some downs, but altogether, it was amazing. I cannot wait for our next W.P.C.A trip.

Novel study.

For novel study, I read the book I Am David. It was a really good book. We had to write a short paragraph for each chapter. These are mine.

Chapter one summary.
David starts off in the concentration camp. He was wondering whether he should escape as he was told to by “him”, the prison guard that he must escape that night. He didn’t trust him but he decides to try to escape anyway. He got over the border and started running. He looked behind him and realised no one was following him. He found a bundle put there by “him”. He jumped into a truck while he was not being watched.

Chapter two summary.
He needed to reach Italy by boat. He found one with Italy painted on the stern. He climbed into it and quickly hid. He was found and then he jumped out and swam to shore early in the morning. David sat there for a long time and watched everything around him as he had never seen so much colour. With the soap he was given, he completely cleaned himself and then continued walking. He looked around for a bit. He found a baker and got some bread off him. He continued to do this for a while until he heard some people talking about him.

Chapter three summary.
David was scared at first because he had been travelling through the night and when he woke up, he thought that he had been travelling the wrong way. He quickly recollected himself and continued moving. He started to think about God and then thought of who his God would be. He sat down and started praying to his God of green pastures and still waters. He found some American tourists and David started talking to them. After David left, he found a truck driver and he was offered a ride. He finally found out that not all nice people are very smart as Angelo the truck driver was nice but not very bright.

Chapter four summary.
David has never seen a forest before. He decided that he liked the fact that he could hide easily, but that meant that “they” could as well. David continued walking and came across a boy who looked older than him. The boy started punching him and called David a coward when he didn’t fight back. He went away and David washed his clothes to rid himself completely of the boy. He came across two young boys and an older girl who looked about Davids age playing. The girl got stuck in a fire and David saved her. He met her whole family and they decided that he could stay with them for a while.

Chapter five summary.
David loved living in the house and he tried to learn everything about it while he lived there. He found it hard trying to act “normal” and he found that some of the things the two little boys and the girl Maria did funny. The boy who beat him up was Maria’s older brother, Carlo. He apologized but David still hated him. He overheard there parents talking about him and he decided that he should leave. Maria said goodbye to him and he left.

Chapter six summary.
David tramped on. He found a church and decided to go in. He found a priest and started talking to him as he decided that he must be good. David was in Switzerland and he found a woman. He started talking to the women and decided that he liked her. She invited him to have dinner at her house. The woman, who was called Sophie Hartmann told David of another David she new who apparently died as a baby. That baby and his mother and father were caught by police and put in a concentration camp. Apparently, the father and the baby died, but the mother escaped because one of the guards was in love with her.

Chapter seven summary.
The weather was very cold now and it was snowing. David got a lift to a place called Faido. He was determined to reach Denmark. David now knew that the mother was Davids mother and the guard had actually kept David alive but didn’t tell Davids mother. Davids feet and mind had grown so numb that he nearly let himself walk over a small cliff by accident. David came across a man and new he was one of “them”. David had been captured by a man who made him work as his slave. David hated his whole family but didn’t actually mind staying there too much. He slept in the stable and he made friends with there dog. He escaped before the farmer handed him over to the police and the dog came with him. He had finally escaped and was on his way.

Chapter eight summary.
He was in Switzerland but he couldn’t use the money he had. He wrote a letter to Carlo saying that he forgave him. He found a man named Graf and he gave David and the dog, King some food. When he was only a few days from Denmark, David found a group of “them”. The dog, King, knew that the people were dangerous and attacked them so David could get away, but King was sadly shot. He got a ride from a man who stowed him in the back of his truck as soon as he reached Denmark. He found the address of his mother and he was given a ride there by another woman. He walked up to the house and finally found his mother.

Updated alien invasion!

This is the updated version of the Alien invasion video my friends and I made. I really hope you like it! We made it so we can practise using different camera angles.

Alien invasion!

This is the Alien invasion my friends and I made. I really hope you like it! We made it so we can practise using different camera angles.

Why everybody should have a pet.

Pets are amazing. You don’t believe me? Well, there must be a reason that so many kids have “a pet” written in bold at the top of there Christmas wish list.  In my opinion, everybody should have a pet.

You may be thinking, that some people don’t have either the room or the time for one. But, there are so many different types that you can get, at least one will be perfect for you. If you’re fortunate enough to live in a house with a backyard, you can already get a dog, cat, bird, you name it. If you own a lot of land with fenced-off grass, why don’t you get a horse? Or even a donkey! You may be thinking, what if I don’t have any land at all? What if I live in a small apartment that doesn’t allow dogs or cats or anything that makes much of a noise five stories above the ground? Just get a little pet, like a mouse or a rat. If you are part of a large percentage of people, you will be absolutely disgusted by this idea. But why? What is really that bad about rats? They’ve got tiny little claws and tiny little teeth, sure. But so do humans, and chances are, you don’t mind being around people so much. Besides, you get a pet, and you may just be making their like so much better as well.

Not only are pets great, but they are also great for you. Owning a pet may be just what you need to get up and go for a run at the park. A breath of fresh air and a bit of exercise is good for anybody. That’s not the only reason pets are so good for you. They can also unknowingly teach you things that humans can’t. They teach you loyalty and how to stick with something. Pets also teach you how to look after something. Once people know that you can be trusted to look after an animal, they’ll know you can be trusted.

Pets are marvellous things that everyone should have, and when you get a pet, you gain a companion as well. If you are lonely, you know what you need; a pet. They’re friends that stick with you, that will love you forever. Honestly, sometimes they can be better than having a human friend. Pets can never say the wrong thing so they are automatically masters at emotional support. Besides, it’s far too easy to make a person annoyed compared to a dog. You forget to feed your pet one morning and they’re still your best friend by the time you get home from work. You forget one slightly important thing in the supermarket and suddenly your flatmate doesn’t speak to you for a week. There are so many reasons that pets can be more kind than humans. Anyway, you can argue with your cat, your dog, your mouse, your horse and unless your really unlucky, you will most likely win any arguments with them. Not that there will be much as (added bonus) pets don’t talk back.

Just imagine what it will be like to have such a caring and compassionate friend that sticks by your side to the end of the world that will continue to help you when you need it most and never gives up on you or let you down. What you are imagining is a pet.

Rafting the Arnold river reflection

On the 15th of May, us 13 year 8s went rafting on the Arnold River. It was amazing! The water was freezing and fast-flowing (not to mention dirty) as it had rained a lot beforehand, but this turned out to be a good thing. I was in the middle of the raft with Natasha next to me, Xavier and Jeordie in front and Jasper as the steering wheel at the bank. It was smooth at first, but soon we were hanging on for dear life (at least I was). I still remember the first time we went over a rock. Somebody called a warning, and naturally, we headed right towards it. I was quite surprised when we landed and didn’t have our bodies underwater. I really got a shock when Natasha next to me said, “don’t worry, no more rapids”. One second later, I heard somebody yell “RAPIDS!”. Despite turning completely around and shaking violently, we stayed on without getting stuck. Another raft was not so lucky. The managed to wedge themselves on top of a giant boulder. We saw many things while rafting, including a dead cow. Unfortunately, not everyone saw it, but the one that didn’t, got the privilege of unknowingly swimming with it instead. I definitely found it challenging and I was very scared at first, but by the end, I found that I was sad to see the end of the day.

My self-portrait

My Self-Portrait

Everybody in our class made a self-portrait. First, we took a photo of ourself and put it on a google drawing. We then used the polyline tool to outline parts of our face, for example, our hair, face, lips and ears. We would then colour them in and delete the photo (leaving the shapes we made with the polyline) and then put a picture in the background. This is mine.