Winiata’s Blog

On Wednesday we got up early to have breakfast. When we were packed, we hopped into the van and headed off to Captain Tama’s Lagoon Cruise. At CTLC we got into a glass bottom boat, and go far out in the lagoon. Kata, Kori and I got to sit on the front with our feet in the water. The captain gave us some coconut oil that, when one rubbed it on our body, might help us get a tan.

After we dropped the anchor, the captain told us a little about the place. Through the glass, we could see the ground, and some coral and fishes around it. We were told that we could get into the water, so we took the honour of going first. When we hoped in, we found that it was a WHOLE lot deeper than I had expected.

This was the best part of my trip. The different colours of fish surrounding me were just incredible. The sight of all the coral and rocks was beautiful. Massive clams on the lovely coral rocks. Colourful fish swimming between the waving sea-weed, and the most awesome part about this is that you are a part of it.

We discovered a lagoon and inner reef area where marine life was abundant. We got to swim and snorkel among schools of colourful butterfly wrasse and triggerfish. We also saw giant crabs in their natural habitat. I swam upside down under the glass. After half an hour under there, I was picking up stones from the seabed, diving all the way down it was amazing.

Later we went to the island and we were given a BBQ lunch. After that we played this game where we had to look for crabs, and I found the biggest one. There was one which was bigger, but the guide said it was too dangerous to get it. There were heaps of crabs, but when I asked whose property we were on, the guide just said, “It’s cool, this is my uncle’s house!” But I got the impression that everywhere he goes he says that.

We were shown a skit about coconuts and a lavalava, like how to wear a lavalava in different ways. It was really funny, we all laughed when they got dressed up in a lavalava and put a coconut inside the lavalava, and sang a song as it swung between their legs.

On Thursday we got to sleep in for ages. Then after breakfast we went for a bit of shopping but I was to discover that I had left my wallet behind. Everyone bought an ice-cream except me. Then we went to the perfumes of Rarotonga, a shop where they make perfumes and other stuff for your skin. After that we went to the snorkelling part of the coast. We swam really far out where there was a diving platform anchored off the beach, out to sea. Right next to it was a big rock with lots of fish around it. Kataroa went back to get some bread. When he came back with it there were lots of other big fish following behind, wanting to eat the crumbs.

After we went back to the cabins and we had a tournament like a triathlon, with three different games – pool, darts and table tennis. The problem was four out of the six teams all got tied. My team didn’t lose one game.

On Friday it was our last full day. Most of the day we spent with my aunty who lives in Rarotonga. She came back to pick us up. We went to her place again, we watched DVDs and we talked most of the day. Then we went to an Indian restaurant for dinner. After dinner she took us back to the cabins.

When we got back there was no one around, so we went searching and finally we went to the food hall where the dinners are served, and we found everyone there watching rugby. The All Blacks versus England. After a while my brother Etere decided to go back to the cabin and watch a DVD. Later on everyone else came back and we were told to get our bags ready.

When we got to the shuttle bus, we loaded our bags into the trailer and got on. At the airport we checked our bags in and they looked at our passports again. On the plane I was sitting next to my brother and Josephine. We watched another DVD, but that got boring so we listened to music instead on the radio.

Just before the plane landed in Auckland I looked out the window and saw that it had been raining. When we landed we went to the carousel to get the luggage and stood in line with everyone else, and waited to check out. Then we went through to the public area and our uncle Pompi was there to pick us up.

We got back and had to wait at uncle’s place for about 5 hours until mum and dad arrived. First I fell asleep and slept until noon. Then we played guitar hero on the big screen all the rest of the afternoon until mum arrived. Then we all had tea together, and when it got dark, we drove back to Te Awamutu.

My brother Etere has gone to live in Groote Eylandt, it’s a place in Northern Territory, and it’s an island. The traditional owners of the island are the Anindilyakwa People. The island produces 25% of the world’s magnesium. You have to have permission from the traditional owners to live there. My uncle Keith is a park ranger on the island.

Saturday 28 June

Etere just called us from Groote Eylandt to say he arrived there safely, 5pm NZ time.
Their whole whanau was there at the airport to greet him, as his Aunty Anne had a birthday on Friday & the whanau were over there for that. Uncle Boy went out fishing early this morning, but he is due home shortly.
Etere is being shown around by Anne’s boys, and has settled comfortably into ‘their happy chaotic home’ (says Aunty Anne). They just headed down to the beach to see Uncle come in with the day’s catch.
What a relief to know he got there safely, and he assures his poor mum that he doesn’t miss us one bit!!! (Well, the jury is still out on that one, we’ll see in another week or so…….)

Sunday 29^th June.

Uncle Keith wrote…..Etere arrived safe and well and in good spirits. He’s already found what he likes to do – diving! Went for his first dive & loved it….caught 6 crayfish, a coral trout & a huge cod.
He reckons it’s hot at the moment, but wait until the end of the year, it’s REALLY hot. The only good thing is we’ve got the sea breeze…stops us from melting.
Etere was out in the sun yesterday and did not even burn. I thought his skin was quite pale …but he has already turned a bit olive.
He’s rather quiet, but he’s just finding his way at the moment…as he gets to know everyone he will probably participate in more activities. Last night he was asked by another friend of the family if he would like to go to a blue light disco….so that’s what he is doing tonight.
Love from Boy

Tuesday 1 July
Uncle Keith wrote…..We just had fireworks here. We lit about $600 worth of fireworks in 2 hours, awesome! Yesterday Etere worked with me and two other rangers on building a board and chain road above ground, to protect the sand dunes and surrounding native vegetation from being ripped up by rogue travellers.
The Rangers also show him how to drink from a native plant growing wild on the sand dunes. It looks like a kumara, but you can chew it, or tip your head and squeeze the flesh and get the juice to drip straight into your mouth. It’s not bad either, a little bit like a milky coconut, not too sweet.
Today we took the Ranger boat for a run, about 26 kms out to sea. Etere got onto a nice queen fish just 3 kms away from the wharf, and boy was he excited! He did everything his uncle said, except get the fish into the boat. I was teasing him after that, saying we should call this Etere’s “Catch & Release Fishing Safari“…and everyone just cracked up laughing, including Etere. He actually reminded me of Pompi.
About half an hour later he caught 3 trevally, the largest being about 4-5 kilo.
Love from Boy.

Tuesday 29^th July.

We got a call from Australia last night. Etere just got back from 3 days out camping with the TO’s (as opposed to abbo’s) TO = Traditional Owners – of said island. They went bush, stayed in tents. When we asked ‘did you pack everything up when you came home?’ he says ‘no, they live out there permanently (in tents)’. No power, only a genny, oh, and cell phones of course!!
When they leave (presumably to go walkabout) everything is left as is, and no one takes stuff, just remains untouched until they return.
TO’s took him hunting for bush food, bugs and stuff, a small echidna (must be the oz equivalent of a tuatara).
Etere says “….just used sugar-bags for lizards and mud crabs. YES we saw crocs. In fact I saw my first wild croc, but it was heading into the water and I stayed well away. We were cooking on an open fire, on the sand.”

Sounds like he is having experiences he could never hope to have here in T A. But I’m sad that he’s gone not because I miss him (which I don’t!), but because I have to do all his chores as well as mine! I thought that since he’s gone there’d be fewer dishes (hehehe), but there’s still heaps of work!

But, I get to sleep in his big red bed, and have all his blankets too, so that’s alright.

On the 8th of April, rooms 3 & 7 arrived at school with all their bags packed and ready to depart. We were going to Ohope for this year’s camp. Ohope is a nice little town right next to the beach. Once the bell rang to start school, we all assembled outside the classroom, but we had to wait for another hour because one of the drivers had not yet arrived. Just before we left, the teacher put us into the groups that we were travelling in. I had the best car because our driver gave us chocolate bars to eat. 

On our way to Ohope we took a detour and stopped at Lake Okataina, and boy was it windy! We went onto the lakeshore and immediately noticed two waka that were beached, half on the shore and half in the water. We played touch on the sand and I got hurt. I was running fast and I fell forward and grazed my knee badly. 

After eating lunch we took a walk along a track into the bush. I was misbehaving and tossing sticks onto the track. Eventually the track led to an even windier clearing by the lake. The force of the wind was so strong that when I tossed a stick straight up into the air it landed 5 metres behind me. After a while we returned back to where the cars were parked. 

On the way back we drove through some very winding roads, and our car came very close to scraping against the steep cliffs on the left hand side. After that, the rest of the trip was ordinary, until we arrived in Whakatane and got lost for a while.

When we finally arrived at Ohope we discovered we were the first car to get there. We couldn’t unpack because the cabins were still locked so we played cricket while we waited for everyone else to get there. My friend accidentally hit the ball across the road and we weren’t allowed to cross over to get it so that ball was history until later on in the day when we recovered it from a bush. Once the others got there, we all grabbed our bags and put everything in the cabins. 

Later that afternoon we went to the beach to play a game of touch. My knee was still hurting and I tripped over again and got sand in it so that didn’t help. So I abandoned the touch game and decided that throwing handfuls of wet sand at the girls would be more entertaining. That night we had meatballs and spaghetti for dinner. I stuffed myself full.  Then I went to bed and slept like a log. That’s the first day done.  

Last Friday there was a championship swimming event at our school. Only the confident swimmers attended. We did loads of different heats. I swam the easy ones first - 25m freestyle, 25m backstroke, and 25m breaststroke. Then came the harder ones – 25m butterfly, 50m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 50m breaststroke and the big one, 100m freestyle. I did the best in freestyle where I either got 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd.It was a good day and I felt good that I did it.

This is a Island-Talk comparison of school life in Australia and New Zealand.

I hate doing work …..because I’m too lazy and I can’t be bothered. Sometimes it tires me out. I hate pies …..because one day when I was feeling sick I ate a pie. We’ve been enemies ever since.I hate spiders …..because they are small and creepy. I can’t stand the feeling of a spider crawling over my skin.I hate vegetables….. like Brussels sprouts, asparagus, cabbage and turnips. They taste like mushy pig food when mixed together.I hate my brother….. well I tell him that anyway – because he bothers and annoys me in lots of ways.I hate tasting ….. drinks with not enough flavour like when mum mixes a 1 litre sachet with 3 litres of water.I hate missing out …..on things that I really enjoy, like sport and movies and outside experiences including camps.I hate losing …..in games and sport because I’m really competitive when I play. 

I went onto Kegan’s blog and there was a really funny video from You Tube called “The Mysterious Ticking Noise”. Me and my friends thought it was really funny, so I searched on you tube and i have put it on the sidebar. I hope you enjoy it.