DAY 1: In the Beginning...
Activity 1: The Legend of New Zealand [4 points]
According to Māori mythology, much of Aotearoa New Zealand was formed when Māui, a powerful demigod, fished it out of the sea. Legend has it that Māui created a magical fish hook from the jawbone of his grandmother and that one day he took his hook, boarded a boat, and rode out into the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Once at sea, he threw his magical hook into the water and caught a fish. This ‘fish’ was actually the North Island of New Zealand! In honour of this legend, the North Island of New Zealand is sometimes referred to as Te Ika a Māui or ‘Māui’s fish’ and the South Island of New Zealand is sometimes referred to as Te Waka a Māui or ‘Māui’s canoe’.
To learn more cool facts about New Zealand, check out the Tourism NZ website. Read the fun facts posted on the website and choose your ‘Top 3.’ On your blog, post your ‘Top 3 Fun Facts’ about NZ.
1.It is one of the three countries in the world that has two official national anthems of equal standing. The first is God Save the Queen and the other is God Defend New Zealand.
2.The official language is English and Maori.
3. New Zealand is one of the world’s least populated countries with over 4 million populations.
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ReplyDeleteKia ora Laki,
ReplyDeleteIsn't it awesome that New Zealand has two national anthems? Have you listened to both of them? Which one do you prefer out of the two and why?
Did you know that sign language also became an official language of New Zealand in April 2006, alongside English and Māori? I come from a country where we only have one official language which is Korean. It is just mind-blowing how NZ has three!
I learned from another student's blog that only 5% of NZ's population is human and the rest are animals!! Maybe that's why we are one of the world's least populated countries. What do you think?
I'm looking forward to reading more of your blog posts throughout the day!
From Susie :)
Hi Laki,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Alex and I am from Panmure Bridge school. Well done on finishing your first Summer Learning Journey activity. I had no idea that New Zealand has two national anthems. Which one do you like better, God Defend New Zealand or God Save The Queen? Keep up the good work.