Arriving in New Zealand...

The First Settlers:

Māui and the Big Fish is about a young sibling determined to prove himself to his elder brothers. From reading this Māori Myth I have learned that Māui is a very determined person. Māui, although he was often told that he wasn't good enough, persevered finding new and clever ways to complete whatever he set his mind to. He is also very clever, in this story he comes up with a cunning plan and outsmarts his older brothers. I would use cheeky to describe Māui. In this story, he is not afraid to do his own thing. In other Māori Myths, such as 'How Māui Slowed the Sun', Māui shows similar personality traits to the ones shown in the aforementioned myth.

Setting Sail:

Dear Bobby Makenu,

We have been sailing for several days now and I am becoming rather bored. I have played all the games we brought with us and now I have nothing left to do. Mum told me I should write a letter if I was really that bored, so I decided to write to you.

Our journey so far has been peaceful. There was one night when it rain but besides that, the weather has been good. I miss you. Yesterday we saw dolphins, I wish you could have seen them they had such shiny skin. One came up to the waka, I named it Silk because of how soft and smooth her skin felt. I'm pretty sure it was a she, there were two smaller dolphins swimming with her. I named them Star and Bobby, after you and me because they stayed together the whole time like best friends do. There haven't been many other animals, Mum says the water is too deep to see any of the fish. I have seen birds though. They were black and white and made a horrible screeching noise. I think I will call them seabirds because they flew over the sea far from land.

I love to look at the sky when it is nighttime. I can see all the stars I tried to count them but there are so many. They shine off the water and you can see all the stars twice. My Mum says I was named Whetū after them because she thinks I am as beautiful as the stars.

I am nervous about arriving, what if there are already people there? They might not be nice. I am also very excited. There will be new places to see and explore. I will find a good tree and I will build a fort in it for when you arrive on the next waka.

See you Soon,

Whetū Makenu

P.S. You are my favorite sister xoxo