All About New Zealand Primary Four

Where is New Zealand? New Zealand is in the South. It is next to Australia.

New Zealand is made up of two islands (the North and South) in the South Pacific Ocean. The capital city of New Zealand is Wellington. Two other famous cities in New Zealand are Christchurch, which is in the South Island and Auckland in the North.

Geography New Zealand has many different types of scenery. There are green hills, forests and beautiful coastal areas. The biggest mountain in New Zealand is Mount Cook. Mount Cook

Weather New Zealand is in the South, so the seasons are opposite to those in the North. New Zealand has a mild climate. The summer is from December to February and the winter is from June to September. Most people in New Zealand spend Christmas Day at the beach.

People People from New Zealand are known as New Zealanders or ‘Kiwis’. Many different races live there, including the Maori who were the first people in New Zealand. This is a picture of a Maori Warrior preparing for his warrior dance.

Maori Language Both Maori and English are the official languages of New Zealand. Maori is taught throughout schools in New Zealand and the government has recognized the importance of keeping this culture going. Here are a few Maori words for you to learn: Kia ora – common greeting, like hello. hoa - friend kura – school kaiako – teacher tena koe – thank you

Maori 1-10 one – tahi two – rua three – torutahiruatoru four – wha five – rima six – onowharimaono seven – whitu eight – waruwhitu waru nine – iwa ten - tekauiwatekau

Famous Places New Zealand has such as small population that many areas still have beautiful forests. Because of its natural beauty New Zealand was chosen to film the movie ‘Lord of the Rings’. Many tourists visit New Zealand every year just to see where ‘Lord of the Rings’ was filmed.

Here are some places that New Zealand is famous for: Milford Sound Milford Sound is in the South Island. It is a large flowing river that goes into the ocean. There are lots of beautiful waterfalls there.

Queenstown Queenstown is the ‘adventure’ capital of New Zealand. There are lots of activities to do there, throughout the year.

Kiwi Adventure Sports Bungy Jumping Queenstown is famous for bungy jumping. You can jump from a range of different heights, over water or even a concrete floor!

Hang-gliding Hang-gliding requires a lot of training. You need to learn How to move the glider smoothly through the sky.

White Water Rafting White water rafting Takes you along a fast river.

Animals Here are some strange animals you can find in New Zealand: Kiwi

The Kiwi is the national animal of New Zealand. It doesn’t have wings, so it can’t fly. It can grow to the size of a chicken and likes to eat worms, insects, leaves and berries. worms insect berry

Kea Parrot The Kea parrot is only found in New Zealand. It is considered the ‘clown of the mountain’ because of its curious nature. It eats many things including ‘gifts’ from visitors. It eats butter, nuts, apples, carrots, mangoes, pasta and meat.

Sheep There are more sheep than people in New Zealand! Sheep are used for their wool and meat.

Kiwi Food Baked Kumara Kumara is the Maori word for sweet potato. New Zealanders like to eat baked sweet potato with their roast dinner.

Hokey Pokey Ice Cream Hokey Pokey ice cream is vanilla ice cream with toffee chunks (yummy!). It is the second most popular type of ice cream in New Zealand.

New Zealand life Kia ora! Hello my name is Nick, and I live in Wellington the capital of New Zealand. Did you know that New Zealand is made up of two islands? We have a mild climate and our seasons are different to the North. We usually celebrate Christmas in the sun, because it’s summer then! People from New Zealand are called New Zealanders or ‘Kiwis’.

I have a pet Kiwi, called Ken. My friend has a Giant Weta. Wow, they’re really big and ugly. My friend has to be careful when he feeds it, because Wetas bite! At school we are taught in English and Maori. The Maori people were the first people to live in New Zealand. I enjoy learning about the different Maori customs and find the warrior dance fascinating. Some of our Kiwi foods also come from the Maori culture, my favourite is baked kumara.

New Zealand is famous for strange sports. Queensland is home to bungy-jumping. I haven’t been before, but my brother loves to go! I prefer white water rafting, it’s not as scary ! I hope you enjoyed reading about New Zealand. Cheers, Nick

Glossary adventure – an unusual or exciting journey or event. capital city – is a city of town where the government meets. culture – consist of arts, or habits of people from a certain area. mild – something that is not very stong. national – related to a country. offical – approved by government. races – different groups of people (i.e. Chinese, Indian) scenery – land, water and plants that you can see around you.

P4 Theme- based Project: All About New Zealand Your task is to make and write a postcard from New Zealand to your parents or a friend. Make sure your postcard includes the following items: 1.A picture on the front of the card related to New Zealand. 2.A heading – (ie. Words from New Zealand) 3.An address to the people you are sending it to. 4.A letter telling your family or friend about your trip and what you have done in New Zealand.

Example Dear Abby, How are you? Time flies when you’re having fun. I am having a wonderful time in New Zealand, but it is really cold. I’m glad I brought my hat and gloves! I’ve visited many places in the past few days. When I arrived last Monday I went to Queenstown. There are so many activities to do there, like bungy jumping, white water rafting, and hang-gliding. I went bungy jumping, but it was really scary. On Tuesday, I went to Milford Sound. It was beautiful with amazing waterfalls and green hills. After the boat trip my family and I had Hokey Pokey ice cream. It was delicious! Tomorrow we are going to the capital of New Zealand, Wellington. I’m really excited. I hope you are enjoying your summer! From, Miss Wakeford

To Miss A. Wong Shanghai Alumni Primary School 14 Hong Shing Street, Kornhill, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong