Kia Ora!

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WEEK 1

Dear Lincoln, Lilliana, Leni, Juliana, Evyn, Jack, Faye, Chloe, Emerson, Lake, Rita, Violet, and Ella,

I'm here in New Zealand! I arrived last Saturday so I’ve been here for just over a week now. When I first arrived everyone said, “Kia Ora!” which means welcome in Maori, one of the languages spoken in New Zealand. Maoris are the native New Zealanders, and like Native Americans, they have a lot of different customs and a long history in the region. They also have their own language, which school children learn alongside English.

The first house I stayed in was in Mount Eden, an area in Auckland, which is the biggest city in New Zealand. This is where Flynn lives. He’s 11 and he lives with his mom, Alison, her boyfriend, Paul, and Paul's grown-up son, Calum. Flynn is really cool. He has special glasses, which look like sunglasses, because he has Irlen Syndrome. Before his mom knew this she thought he just didn’t like reading and writing, but then she found out that because of Irlen Syndrome, Flynn’s eyes see things a little muddled up, so the glasses help him see things in the right order. I wonder if there are other kids who have this and their parents don’t know what it is, because it’s pretty rare.

On Monday I came to stay with Sam, who is 8, and Isabella, who is 10. They live with their older brother, Matt, who is 12, and sister, Laura, who is 15, and their mom and dad, Helen and Richard. Luckily they have a really big house because there are so many people who live in it! Their mom and dad also have to work super hard because they have to buy so much food to feed four hungry children! They are actually from England but they all moved to New Zealand 6 years ago.

Sam loves living in New Zealand because of all the sports. He is fantastic at soccer (they call it football here, like in England) and I think he might grow up to be a real soccer player. He is a great goalkeeper because his brother, Matt is a great striker and gives him lots of practice! Maybe he could play goalkeeper for England in the 2022 World Cup. He also plays Rippa Rugby. I haven’t seen this yet, but I’m going to watch him play it next week.

The funniest thing about New Zealand is that the seasons are back to front. It is summer here, and so Christmas is in the summer instead of the winter. Because of this New Zealanders have two Christmases. In July, when it’s all cold outside, they have “midwinter Christmas,” just so they can get all snuggled up and warm inside. I’m not sure if Santa comes to this one. He should be having his rest at this time of the year!

I keep calling the people in New Zealand, “New Zealanders,” but they actually have a pretty funny name. They’re called “Kiwis” for short. The Kiwi is an actual bird that has a very long beak and can’t fly. From now on I’ll call the New Zealanders, Kiwis, but remember I’m not talking about the bird unless I say, the Kiwi bird!

All the kids I've met so far love living so close to the beach. The beaches are all very clean and great to run along. From the beach where Sam and Isabella live you can see the real volcano on Rangitoto Island that erupted out of the sea 600 years ago. Luckily the scientists don’t think the volcano will erupt again any time soon! I might take a trip to go and see it next week.

As cool as the volcano is, I have to tell you about the strangest sight I have seen so far. In New Zealand, when someone wants a new house, they sometimes want to build it on the land where their old house stood. Well, instead of just knocking it down, they often sell it to someone, who comes along, picks up the whole house, puts it on the back of a truck, and takes it to a new location! I wouldn't like to be driving that truck!

One of the best things about New Zealand that I have found so far is that it is a very safe country. Sam and Isabella can both walk home from school by themselves, even though it is a 20 minute walk. I have also found that people are so friendly. They are always wanting to stop and say hello and find out where you are from. They also love talking about their country because New Zealand is so beautiful and there are so many great things to do here.

Well, that's just a few things I've learnt about in my first week. I'm going to have lots more to tell you next week, about some of the things the Kiwis (people not birds!) eat, and some of their favorite places. My adventures are really only just beginning.

I hope you enjoyed reading this first letter and seeing the photos. I miss you all so much and am sending you big hugs.

All my love,

Susie