(Ginny writes…) These were my spelling words last week. I got 18 out of 20. These are New Zealand place names. I don’t have their translations. Otakau, Otepoti, Waitati, Waikouaiti, Taieri, Maungatua, Tokomairiro, Tuapeka, Tahuna, Wakari, Manuherika, Kawarau, Matau, Mataura, Oturehua, Oamaru, Otematata, Ahuriri, Waitaki, and Maniototo.
These are my spelling words this week, also place names:
- Maungatua (mountain of the gods)
- Oturehua
- Akaroa (long harbour)
- Aoraki (cloud in the sky)
- Aotearoa (land of the long white cloud/New Zealand)
- Aramoana (path to the sea)
- Awarua (two rivers)
- Eketahuna (shallow beach)
- Hakataramea (dance near speargrass)
- Hauroko (windy lake)
- Hawea (Hawea’s place)
- Hokitika (straight path)
- Inangahua (drying whitebait)
- Kaitangata (people eater)
- Kaikoura (crayfish food)
- Matua/Mata-tau (whirlpools)
- Maunga-tua (mountain of the gods)
- Ngauruhoe (slave girl)
- Otautau (Tautau’s place)
- Purakanui (heaps of fire wood)
- Ruapehu (two craters)
- Tongariro (carried on the wind)
Then we have to memorise our Mihi. This is mine:
Nō Seattle ahau. (I am from Seattle. In Maori where you are from means where you were born)
Kei Te Au taku kainga. (I live in Te Au – up the hill from Dunedin “the mist”)
He Tahoma taku maunga. (Tahoma is my mountain, Native American for Mt. Rainier)
He Snoqualime taku awa. (Snoqualmie is my river)
Ko Gary taku pāpā. (Gary is my father)
Ko Fa taku whaea. (Fa is my mother)
Ko Ginny taku ingoa. (Ginny is my name)
E tekau ma tahi aku tau. (11 is my age)
Wow! Ginny, I could never spell any of that! You’re a good speller though! We miss you soo much! There is someone at Nova who reminds us of you.
Nicole and Hannah Hartman