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 – toru
four – wha five – rima
six – ono
seven – whitu
eight – waru
nine – iwa
ten - tekau
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.
insect
berry
worms
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