Issue 12 A quarterly magazine for Kiwi Kids Abroad Visit us at kiwikidsabroad.com

Your seasonal dose of Kiwi arts & creativity History & science Environment & conservation Māori & Pasifika culture Sports, adventure & activities Fun stuff & competitions

In this Issue:

Page 3 The potato stamp kākāpō

Page 4 A pāua shell house!?

Page 6 The taniwha

Page 8 Brain buzz quiz Bookmarked Bird of The Year NZ music now playing A Lion in the Meadow The kākāpō is a nocturnal, flightless – By Margaret Mahy Kia Ora! parrot that’s just a little unusual. Known Soaked by BENEE by some as ‘moss chickens’, they A Kiwi classic, and much loved once used to roam throughout New Move over Lorde, tale from one of New Zealand’s If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, spring will be arriving, Zealand before becoming critically a new girl is in town! Hailing most celebrated children’s and new buds sprouting. Maybe you’ve met some baby endangered. Now there are only from Auckland, Benee, a authors, Margaret Mahy. lambs? Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, we’re heading into about 200 of these guys left. 21-year-old singer-song autumn and the leaves are turning in to beautiful shades of That didn’t stop the kākāpō beating writer’s beats are an A Lion in the Meadow is about red, orange and yellow.. You can’t help but look around and out the competition to become the alternative pop and indie a little boy who is worried that say ‘wow’! 2020 Bird of The Year. with an RnB swing. he has seen a lion lurking in the meadow outside the house but A great place to experience autumn in Aotearoa is Central Although these birds don’t fly, they Maybe you’ve heard her his mother won’t believe him so Otago where the trees put on a magical show. An especially have pretty big wings which means tune Supalonely? It gained she gives him a matchbox… What beautiful place to be at this time of year is in Arrowtown they tend to uh… awkwardly tumble international success after happens next, you’ll have to read where they throw the Akarua Arrowtown Autumn Festival to out of trees. Luckily, they’re pretty taking off on TikTok. celebrate the arrival of autumn. What’s it like in your part of the world? to find out! good climbers, using their talons and Send us a photo or drop us a comment and if beaks to scale sometimes 100 feet Did you know Central Otago is technically a desert? Once you’re lucky we’ll share your submission in the up into the trees. known by gold miners as the “heart of the desert”, Central next edition of Tamariki Times. Otago is the closest you’ll come to experiencing one in New In honour of the Bird of The Year Zealand with its hot, dry summers and not a lot of rain. Contact details on page 8! 2020, we have a crafty project that’s pretty simple to make and lots of fun.

New Zealand’s golden girl The wild West Coast earns a top 100 crown Welcome to Hokitika, the real wild west of New Zealand, and home to the country’s most New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern (or better iconic Wildfoods Festivals. Where festival goers known by Kiwis as Aunty Cindy) has been recognised by celebrate by eating weird and wonderful Forbes as one of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. kai (food) found by foraging in nature. Think creepy crawly treats such as huhu grubs, crispy Throwback track Did you know that Jacinda was the first world leader in tarantulas, jellied fish eyeballs, grasshoppers and 30 years to have a baby while in office and the world’s even pig snouts on a stick! Slice of Heaven youngest female leader? She also made history as the first by Dave Dobbyn world leader (ever!) to attend the United Nations general Not so keen on the kai? Luckily, there are many assembly meeting with her baby, Neve. other things to do at the festival, from live music, Spending eight weeks firework displays, and a ‘Feral Fashion’ dress-up at number 1 on the New Jacinda encourages girls all over the world to competition, where punters dress up as all sorts Get to work. Zealand music charts in dream big, and teaches us it’s cool to be kind. The potato stamp of things from shower loofas to action figures! 1986, and featuring on kākāpō 1. Squirt the three colours of paint the soundtrack for the So, polish up your gumboots, and get ready to try onto your pallet animated movie, ‘Footrot Flats: The Dog’s Tail Tale’. something really wild on the West Coast. 2. Paint the end of the cut potato Gather your supplies, and carrot with green and white Your parents will surely WIN! you will need: (this will be your kākāpō’s body A potato know this one. Play this song and feathers) then stamp the cut in half on YouTube, for a family We’re going on a native bird hunt! How many potato on your paper to create sing-along! Da da da ba du native birds do you see hiding away in this issue A carrot a head and body. Stamp the end cut length da da ba du da da da ba du of Tamariki Times? of the kākāpō’s body with your ways da da da da da da! carrot stamp to create its tail Paper feathers

A paint 3. Use the black paint (or even mix brush it with white to make grey) with A pallet Green, your paint brush to paint the final Count them and tell us how many you can find! white + black touches - the kākāpō’s eye, legs There’s a bundle of delicious Whittaker’s Native paint and beak! Bird chocolates to be won! 4. Let your picture dry, take a photo Email with your answer to: [email protected] (a piece of wax paper of your masterpiece and get a to be in the draw to win. or plastic plate will do) guardian to send it to us.

2 Tamariki Times Issue 12 3 Fred and Myrtles The real story of the Pāua house. very hungry caterpillar.

Although found around the world, the monarch butterfly is the queen of the New Zealand garden and is our largest common butterfly.

Interestingly, the monarch butterfly is considered a New Zealand native because it became established here egg all on its own. Scientists think that the monarch butterfly flew from New Caledonia butterfly or Vanuatu to Australia by cyclones, and then hightailed it across to New Zealand years later.

Kiwi kids enjoy watching these marvellous bugs change from an egg to a caterpillar and then to a chrysalis (pupa) each summer. Inside this chrysalis, the monarch butterfly is transforming. After a week or two, the adult butterfly will emerge and hang upside down for a few hours, drying its wings before flying off to lay more eggs terpillar Down at the very bottom of New Zealand is the small town of Bluff, which was and start the process all over again. ca once home to two local celebrities, Fred and Myrtle Flutey. Kiwi monarchs have unique migration patterns and their behaviour How did they come into fame you ask? The story years that the home was open to the public. They differs from their northern friends. When the temperature drops below started in the 1960s, when Fred worked at the loved having visitors and let them look around at 13 degrees monarchs all flock together to milder, sheltered spots to harbour and collected pāua shells to sell to no charge. trees with rough bark to hold onto, called ‘overwintering sites’. These chrysalis jewellery makers and tourists. Pāua, a name given sites are based in Northland, Hawke’s Bay, Nelson and Christchurch. (pupa) by Māori to Haliotis Iris snails, is considered a In 1990, Fred and Myrtle received a certificate Christchurch is particularly spoilt with many ‘overwintering sites’, so local treasure and valuable to jewellers because of Merit from the New Zealand Tourist Industry there are many places to spot large clusters of monarch butterflies of their iridescent colours. There were lots of Federation. Tim Shadbolt, the Mayor of hanging in trees. It’s a pretty fantastic thing to see! pāua in the shallow waters around Bluff, so Invercargill, commented that the couple were what Fred couldn't sell he would bring home to invaluable to the area and that their home his wife, Myrtle. attracted attention and brought people from all over the country to Bluff. Sometime in these early years, Myrtle decided to decorate a mirror in the living room with the The infamous collection is no longer in Bluff, pāua shells. Myrtle loved how they looked, and but now has a home in the Canterbury Museum, Too bloomin’ tired of moving around the shells to clean, she where a replica of the home was constructed, began to hammer each shiny shell on to the walls and the collection was carefully put back of their home. together using old video footage and photos. cute! Over the next 40 years the collection grew. With over 1,170 individual shells, every surface Answers to Where in New Zealand? in their living room was soon covered, and the A. Wellington, The Beehive B. Cromwell, New Zealand’s most famous doctor and the face leading the Kiwi neighbours began to take notice. The Flutey's Giant Fruit C. Taihape, Giant Gumboot Covid-19 response, Dr Ashley Bloomfield has had a collection of welcomed visitors into their home to view their D. Ohakune, Giant Carrot E. Gore, Giant animals named after him, from a baby rhinoceros to a very fussy little collection, with hundreds of calling cards left Trout F. Te Kuiti, Giant Sheep Shearer kea! The latest addition to the Bloomfield namesake is a rare white- by passers-by. It's estimated one million people G. Riverton, Giant Pāua H. Paeroa, Giant feathered kiwi chick named Bloom! Born at the National Kiwi Hatchery came through the Flutey's house over the 37 L&P Bottle I. Auckland, Sky Tower in Rotorua, the chick is one of more than 2000 hatched in the last 26 years at the hatchery.

4 Tamariki Times Issue 12 5 Aotearoa Match the Kiwiana-Kitch to the town Kiwis on water Write your answer in here

A F

Auckland

B Cromwell

G Ohakune

C Paeroa

Riverton

D H The Taihape The Māori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa, which translates to ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’. taniwha Wellington There are two stories on how the name Aotearoa came Te Kuiti to be. The first is voyagers were guided during the day by In 2021 the America’s Cup was held a long white cloud and at night by a long bright cloud. E What is a taniwha? I in Auckland, New Zealand. The second, tells a story of the voyager Kupe, who saw Gore a peculiar outline in the distance and his wife, Hine-te- Here are some fast facts about this A ‘taniwha’ (pronounced “tuhn-i-fuh”) is a aparangi, called out “He ao! He ao!” (a cloud! a cloud!). epic competition: legendary monster said by the Māori to live in the Kupe named the land after his wife’s greeting to it, and ocean and inland waters of New Zealand, hiding the cloud that welcomed them. Emirates Team New Zealand just in deep pools, rivers, lakes and dark caves. took out the 36th America’s Cup! The competition dates back 170 My slice of heaven years What do they look like? Lumsden, Otago The winner of the America’s Cup gets to choose the rules for the Some taniwha look like giant lizards, sometimes Matariki next contest, including the boats with wings. Others like reptile-like sea creatures, Hi, my name is Abel and I live in favourite activities are feeding used and where the race will take taking the shape of sharks or whales, or even logs a small rural town in Southland baby lambs, helping to milk cows place It’s official folks, Aotearoa New Zealand has a of wood in the river. called Lumsden. There’s about and going on big adventures. new public holiday! 400 people who live here, There’s even sheep shearing New Zealander Russell Coutts There are many tales of taniwha, one of who and my dad is the only local competitions where farmers race is the America’s Cup’s most Matariki (Māori New Year) celebrates the reappearance is Hine-kōrako, a female taniwha who married policeman! to shave their sheep faster than successful racer, winning the of the Matariki constellation (Pleiades). It is a day where a human. When her in-laws insulted her, she each other! cup five times was upset and escaped to Te Rēinga waterfall We have one small supermarket Māori pay respect to the people they have lost but also The entry fee to compete in 2021 near Wairoa. But she still protected the local and not many shops, so it’s lucky Heaps of people ride motorbikes gained over the year that has passed. Celebrating the day was $2 million dollars! and night with prayers, feasting, singing and music. people. One day the river was in flood, and some that we live so close to two and quad bikes here, and we travellers in a canoe came dangerously close to cities. Lumsden is in the middle have charity events where we Every 4 years, teams compete The first official public holiday will be held on Friday 24 the waterfall. Hine-kōrako held back the canoe of Invercargill and Queenstown, raise money for the volunteer fire to win the oldest trophy in June, 2022. and saved their lives. and there’s heaps of tourists that fighters. Often, we bike through international sport and arguably come through our town. My family local farms, some trails are pretty the most difficult (and expensive) lives all around the South Island, tough, and I’m not old enough to win they always drop in to see us on yet to have a go, but I still like to New Zealand has won the the way to their holidays watch! It’s cool that there’s so America’s Cup four times, in 1995, much stuff to do outdoors here, Answers to brain buzz: Can you draw a taniwha? 2000, 2017 and 2021 1. B – Pacific Ocean 2. C – North Island and South There’s lots to do here with my and everyone really friendly so Island 3. A – It can’t fly at all 4. C – Morepork Give it your best shot and send it friends, and everyone lives really it’s like having one big family. Boats have been recorded at 5. B – Waitangi Day 6. A – True 7. B – Hector’s close. We get to play all the time speeds of 50 knots, that’s the 8. B – False through to: and heaps of my friends’ mums I love living in rural New Zealand, equivalent of 92.6 kilometers [email protected] and dads have farms. Some of my tell me about where you live? per hour!

6 Tamariki Times Issue 12 7 Brain Buzz

Think your Kiwi knowledge is up to scratch? We have Find out in the ultimate brain buzzing quiz! Answers on page 6 a winner

1. What ocean is New Zealand 5. If you visit New Zealand in located in? February, what holiday do you A. Indian Ocean celebrate on the 6th? B. Pacific Ocean A. Labour Day C. Atlantic Ocean B. Waitangi Day D. Antarctic Ocean C. Memorial Day D. Independence Day 2. What islands contain most of New Zealand’s population? 6. New Zealand was the first Drumroll please… and the winner of A. Chatham Island and White self-governing country in the the Christmas colouring-in competition Island word to give women the right goes to: Charlotte aged 9. B. Rangitoto Island and to vote in elections? Waiheke Island A. True Ka pai Charlotte! Your colouring-in C. North Island and South B. False skills are out the gate! Island D. Stewart Island and 7. The Dolphin is the Auckland Island world’s smallest marine dolphin and found nowhere 3. How far can a kiwi fly? else in the world but in Kiwi Kids Abroad A. It can’t fly at all New Zealand waters. YouTube has officially B. From Auckland to A. Bottlenose Invercargill B. Hector’s launched! C. The length of a rugby field C. Atlantic Spotted D. From a forest to the beach D. Australian Humpback That’s right folks. You’ll find our YouTube channel via our website 4. ‘Ruru’ is the Māori name for 8. Kiwifruit originates and there is a lot to love! Make what bird? from New Zealand. sure to check-out Jack who lives A. Morebeef A. True in the Netherlands as he travels to B. Morelamb B. False Amsterdam for the day and find out C. Morepork why so many people live on boats! D. Morechicken Want to get involved? Email us!

Whacky Facts

New Zealand is home to the longest Over to you! place name in any English-speaking In 1990, New Zealand became the Got a joke that’s so good that it country! first country in the modern world to needs to be shared? A comic, letter, appoint an official National Wizard! story, photo or drawing that is Kiwi Taumatawhakatangihangaokauau The Wizard was born in 1932 in as? Send it over to us and we may otameteaturipukakapikimaungah- London, England before migrating to feature you in our next issue! oronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu Christchurch, New Zealand in 1974. We accept snail mail and that is the Māori name for a hill found in The Wizard has performed in the magical email stuff.* Hawke’s Bay. city’s Cathedral Square, evading arrests and compulsory censuses. Email It roughly translates to, the place He’s played for rugby teams and [email protected] where Tamatea, the man with the even performed rain dances in big knees, who slid, climbed and Canterbury, Auckland and in the Snail Mail swallowed mountains, known as Australian Outback. Kiwi Kids Abroad the land-eater, played his nose PO Box 1158 flute to his loved ones. Now that’s Cashel Street a mouthful! Christchurch 8140

Ka kite anō (see you again). The Secret Jedis. In 2001, 53,715 people listed their religion as Jedi *Make sure you have permission from a parent in the country’s census (an official or legal guardian. Work we receive may be survey of New Zealand’s population). published in Tamariki Times, on the Kiwi Kids That’s a whole lot of Star Wars fans! Abroad website or social media channels.