2015 Skiing

7:30 arrival at Ohakune, Mt Ruapehu standing right before our eyes. So many anxious faces awaiting to step foot on the fresh yearly snow. As Jacob and I gradually make our way out of the car we arrived in, we roared loudly with great tired bodies, then slowly made our way to the public toilets to slide our Ski pants on.

I rush over to Mrs Cuming to get myself a gear pass and a Hi-viz jacket, then finally we shuffled back into our cars and make our way through the dense jungle bush and emerge out into the open to see the most beautiful day over top of the clouds. An amazing giant snow white figure gazed over the Mt Ruapehu District.

Daniel Finds us a park right at the front of the car park, and i was first out into the fresh hot air. I popped the boot open, grabbed my gear and pounced like a cheetah to the gear office. First at the que I was and fitted myself a Helmet, Snowboard boots, and a board of course. Tried on some wrist guards and hurtled over to claim the school some tables for the day.

When I got my gloves, Helmet and wrist guards on I finally rush over to the pass gates to gain access ...... but .... ( ACCESS DENIED ) .... ( LANE DEACTIVATED )  Ohhhh !! really, we are too early to be allowed though. It doesn't open until 9:00, the ladies have to come out with the tablet to allow us to go through. ...... .. ... As 9:00 finally struck the clock, we were now allowed to go through to the Movenpick chairlift. Tyler, Geoff, Caelen and I sit ourselves on a chair and start our journey to the top of the mountain. ( GET READY TO UNLOAD, RAISE THE BAR ) Caelen then sits tight and raises the bar ready to be unloaded.
 

Skiing 2015

7:30 arrival at Ohakune, Mt Ruapehu standing right before our eyes. So many anxious faces awaiting to step foot on the fresh yearly snow. As Jacob and I gradually make our way out of the car we arrived in, we roared loudly with great tired bodies, then slowly made our way to the public toilets to slide our Ski pants on.

I rush over to Mrs Cuming to get myself a gear pass and a Hi-viz jacket, then finally we shuffled back into our cars and make our way through the dense jungle bush and emerge out into the open to see the most beautiful day over top of the clouds. An amazing giant snow white figure gazed over the Mt Ruapehu District.

Daniel Finds us a park right at the front of the car park, and i was first out into the fresh hot air. I popped the boot open, grabbed my gear and pounced like a cheetah to the gear office. First at the que I was and fitted myself a Helmet, Snowboard boots, and a board of course. Tried on some wrist guards and hurtled over to claim the school some tables for the day.

When I got my gloves, Helmet and wrist guards on I finally rush over to the pass gates to gain access ...... but .... ( ACCESS DENIED ) .... ( LANE DEACTIVATED )  Ohhhh !! really, we are too early to be allowed though. It doesn't open until 9:00, the ladies have to come out with the tablet to allow us to go through. ...... .. ... As 9:00 finally struck the clock, we were now allowed to go through to the Movenpick chairlift. Tyler, Geoff, Caelen and I sit ourselves on a chair and start our journey to the top of the mountain. ( GET READY TO UNLOAD, RAISE THE BAR ) Caelen then sits tight and raises the bar ready to be unloaded.

Yaju Chengs visit

Learning with Yaju Cheng ( a senior English teacher from Beijing ) this week has been beneficial in so many ways. We have learnt numbers to ten in Chinese, origami papers and the very famous Chinese dumplings; a delicious Chinese cuisine. Learning Chinese languages and exciting fun activities with Yaju is great learning for all students at Apiti as it is not only helpful for us as New Zealanders but we can also teach Yaju things from our country to be taught / shown in China. Learning skills with a teacher from China has been very exciting because we had the chance to learn many different skills from Yaju and her culture as well. 
I hope that Apiti School has welcomed Yaju Cheng to our country nicely and has learned lots from her and has taught her a little bit from our country as well.

Fungi Report

Common Name: Honey Mushroom
Scientific Name: Armillaria

What does it look like? 
With a slime like figure on the top of the fungi cap, this mushroom ( known as the Honey Mushroom ) is just like any other mushroom with a stem, gills and spores.

Where do fungi live?
The Honey Mushroom is usually found growing on the underside of of a decomposed or decaying tree log or stump. 

What do they eat?
As the Honey Mushroom grows off a decaying log, it tends to feed off the logs roots and all of the nutrients and moisture from the wood. 

When and how do Fungi reproduce? 
There are millions of spores in the air we breath, which develop on and are released by a range of unique structures such as the Honey Mushroom,. For the spores to be available to drop, the gills of the fungi have to be vertical to the ground, otherwise the Mushroom will not be able to reproduce and grow.  

Fungal Forae Mushroom description

In the silent days of the Autumn breeze, small white toad stools appear from the overgrown forest scrub in search for life.

The leaf litter of the forest, along with the undergrowth of the soil, feeds the mystical fungal life of the dense forest.

When the sun rises over the horizon, bright sunlight beams over through the trees and into the quiet scene of nature.

Bright colors of the fungi grows off the sense and cold habitat.

From the gills underneath the cap of a fungi allows it to breath, grow and to reproduce.

Other Animals, Birds, wind and insects help the fungi to reproduce by carrying the excess and decomposed fungi by moving it around the forest floor.

My writing was inspired by the scene at  1:30 seconds of the video below.  

Willie Apiata - VC - The reluctant hero

Willie Apiata's childhood was made up of discipline, goals, ingenuity and future dreams and aspirations.
A special mixture of qualities, imagination, independence, courage, loyalty, hard work, stamina and ..... that saw Willie Apiata preform deeds that earned him the Victoria Cross.
He had to learn to overcome tough days through to years, heartbreaks and changes as he was known by a lot of step fathers and many grand fathers.
Growing up in the bush (Papakura) saw a dream come true that gained him respect in sports, school, endurance and bravery as a soldier and a man.
Willie then left high school at the age of 16 and joined the army at a very young age and every day gained strength and discipline.

First world war Mascots.

Paragragh 1

Horses, Dogs, Cats, Donkeys and other animals were trained soldiers to supply the battle with water, guns and medical wagons by the Calvary.

Paragragh 2

Animals or a soft toy such as a teddy bear was used as a so called mascot to represent a group of people or a team.

Paragragh 3

Soldiers had mascots to symblise home and normal day life, and believed that their mascot would bring them good luck and keep them safe.

Paragragh 4

In NZ
Back at home, during training camp, they also used mascots to train them and to hope that the others are safe.

Paragragh 5

Overseas soldiers find or buy a mascot also. Some soldiers fall in love with their mascots soo much that they have to leave the army to stay and take care of their mascots if they mascots cannot go in the army.

The bantam and the soldier summary

Paragragh 1

Horses, Dogs, Cats, Donkeys and other animals were trained soldiers to supply the battle with water, guns and medical wagons by the Calvary.

Paragragh 2

Animals or a soft toy such as a teddy bear was used as a so called mascot to represent a group of people or a team.

Paragragh 3

Soldiers had mascots to symblise home and normal day life, and believed that their mascot would bring them good luck and keep them safe.

Paragragh 4

In NZ
Back at home, during training camp, they also used mascots to train them and to hope that the others are safe.

Paragragh 5

Overseas soldiers find or buy a mascot also. Some soldiers fall in love with their mascots soo much that they have to leave the army to stay and take care of their mascots if they mascots cannot go in the army.

Feilding Herald Report

Apiti School Trail Ride

After being planned a week later than we had hoped for, on the 26th of April, the Apiti School Trail Ride took place at the Apiti Domain. With an estimate of hopefully 350 riders expected, the population continued to grow as another paddock of parking had to be made available, as this has never happened before in the past, the organizers and CO were busing with excitement.

As the clock struck 9:45 am, the number of riders passed the 350 mark and continued to grow throughout the day. 

All riders and parents were called in for the briefing, lead by the "Manawatu Motocross Steward" and the 'Official Track Supervisor'. Ray Ditmer'.

Firstly Maryann Pratt introduced the tracks lead riders - Caleb Jensen and Daniel Hill, followed by a speech about the expected riders' behaviour out on the track, and what is expected to happen throughout the day ahead. 

Thirdly, Ray Ditmer stepped up front to explain about the track layout and what the markers meant.

There are three different tracks marked out based on different rider abilities and confidence levels.

( Main track - Approximate 25 - 35 km loop over local Apiti Farmland undulating terrain, farm tracks with some challenging parts. This track is mostly for experienced riders.) ( Intermediate Track - 10 km loop that incorporates some of the main track.)

( Kids track - Marshaled by parent helpers at the back of the domain. )

Finally the clock ticked over to 10 am and we all set off to jump on our bikes and line up at the gate. The lead riders set off and the rest of the pack followed. The noise of all those bike was breathtaking as it echoed all over the village. Marshals were scattered all over the track on the roads and also the moving marshals that patrolled over the track on their ATV s. Time and time again as I set off on my journey, I had more and more fun each time.
As the end of the day arrived, the gates closed and the marshals and other helpers went out and clear the track. Finally, the day came to an end, and still everyone was overwhelmed by how well our fundraiser turned out to be. All the parents and children ordered some fish and chips from the local Apiti Bar and Grill and sat back and relaxed after a very tough and exciting day.   

From Huntah Digby
Apiti School.

Bottle Nose Dolphin camp research

Fast and Furious 7 quick recount.

The "Fast and Furious 7" movie has just hit the cinemas for the first time, already I knew it would be my goal to place my eyes on that amazing movie. I have been waiting for soo long to finally see it for myself.
RIP Paul Walker ;(

Camp writing 2015 Marlborough Sounds.

Day 1

Queen Charlotte walk.

After departing off the Cougar line boat at "Lochmara Lodge and Resort", we are welcomed by the land owners and given the tour and safety rules. 

It all looks like a lovely place, and it is, but little did we know that what lay before us was a 2 hour climb and muscle pulling walk right up to the top off the Queen Charlotte. Once finished we would make our way back down to our camp site at Mistletoe Bay, where we would be staying for a couple of nights. 

As we embark on our journey to the bay we reach the outdoor art gallery where different objects crafted out of green stone are scattered around the bush track. 

With our group away tramping the bush, everyone is amazed at the incredible view over the Mistletoe bays and the water and bush life. 

Halfway now and the terrain is starting to play on our fitness and our aching bodies. The moaning and groaning of the tired team brought us to a decision to have a rest and a lunch break.

Then just as all minds were in doubt, civilization came into sight and we all rushed to our camp and straight away jumped in for a swim. 

From this point forward, the rest of the camp has settled down and all is quiet until the next day's excitement.

Day 2

    'SUP's'

"stand up paddle boards"

  As we set off down to the jetty for another day of water fun, it was not the day we had hoped for. The rain had started to fall, but that didn't worry us at all.
Once we have slipped our life jackets on, the rain had stopped and the sun beamed over the Marlborough Sounds open water. Fisher and I claimed a board each and tightened the ankle strap ready for action and adventure.
I set off out into the open water with Fisher trailing behind me on our way to find out what lay below us under the deep waters, Stingrays, Starfish, Muscles and other different sea life all share the same clear water of the Mistletoe bay and the Marlborough Sounds.

Our first encounter with the Ocean life was the ginormous Eagle Ray that lived in the shallows.
With such a large wing span, both Fisher and I screamed at it and chased it. As it got too scared it out swam me and made its way back to the deep waters.
As it was such a breathtaking spectacle we both breathed calmly and carried on with our journey.

Day 3

Hectors Dolphins

It is now the last day at Mistletoe bay and the third day on camp. We pack up our rooms/Whare and make our way down to the jetty with our luggage ready for the "Dolphin Watch ECO tours" and our ride back to Picton for our fourth and final night.

We are welcomed by our tour guide 'Tash' and our skipper 'Paul'. The safety check and life jackets are given before we depart from the docks. We are now on our way to learn about the Marlborough Sounds and its Sea life, Wild life and the history and now that keeps the charters working. 

We are driven out to so called Hectors-ville, a bay where Hectors Dolphins breed, live and raise their young.
We arrive in Hectors-ville and are told that these dolphins have a special dorsal fin, They are the only dolphins in the world whose dorsal fins are rounded and looks like Micky Mouses ears :p

I learnt that before baby calves are born, they are basically folded in half in their mother's stomach.

This was very exciting because not only did we see lots of grown adult Hectors, but we also saw lots of new born calves that actually came and played around our boat.  :D 

I felt very honoured that I could come so close to Hectors Dolphins, the smallest Dolphin species in the world. 

Day 4 

Trip Home :(

It's our final day on camp and we are at a park in Picton waiting for our Ferry to come into port.

Then within a blink of an eye the Kaitaki Inter-islander came into view and we all queued up in the line with our bags.

With hundreds of people gathering for their boat to Wellington, it was bumper to bumper all through the line. 
We are now ready to board the ship and as we are together as a school group, the kind staff gave us priority to board early. As we enter the seating lounge, we all grab a comfy seat and pull up our IPad's for research. Once the rest of the school gather, an announcement comes over the loud speaker. "Good evening to all our passengers and welcome on to the Kaitaki Inter islander, it is great to have you all sailing with us today. Just a friendly reminder to all passengers on board today, the weather conditions out through the cook straight today are very rough, 3-4 meter swells are expected and I would like to advise to you to be careful while moving amongst the vessel. Thank you."

"Wow, really, 4 meter swells, that's huge". Yelled Fisher from beside me. 
Suddenly many of the class started to get worried. Sea leg tablets were all taken and cups of ice were available.
This was deffinately a memory that I will remember for ever. 

Apiti Show 2015 “Acrostic Poem”

Apiti Show 2015 “Acrostic Poem” 

M ichael Joseph Jackson
 I nspirational performer
 C lassy dancer, creating the moonwalk
 H ighest record selling singer and actor
 A merica’s idol
 E xtraordinary ability to put on the show
 L oved and adored by millions

‘J ackson Five’
 A we inspiring artist of the 20th century
 C hildhood traumas and physical abuse
 K ing of Pop, starting at the young age of 6
 S ensational singer and songwriter
 O nly artist to ever win eight Grammy awards in one night!
 N ever lost in fans’ eyes

Apiti Show 2015

2015 Huntah Apiti Show on PhotoPeach