What I want to do if we come back to CHCH OCT.30.2011 -KSR

                  I hope that after the world tour, we'll come back here, because I like living in New Zealand.     
                
                 I want to come back to New Zealand  because, in a few years Christchurch will be rebuilt and I really want to see that.  Also, I have friends here and I want to go back to Central New Brighton school.  To add to that, I really like the fact that New Zealand doesn't have a big army like America.  I think it's really cool that we saw some tiny kids playing rugby at the fan zone.  All in all, I would love to come back to New Zealand.
                
               If we come back to NZ, I want to live in Central New Brighton, so I can go to CNB school.   Also I want to hang out with my friends at the library and play on the computers after school.But, I want to go to America during summer vacation and Christmas vacation. I also want my own room and I want to live supper close to the Beach.

              I really hope we come back to New Zealand, but I'd be just as happy in America.  All in all I'll be happy no matter what. 


-KAYLEY SIENNA ROLPH    

What I Would Like to do if We Stay In ChristChurch by Zander

After the trip around the world, we have to find a place to live. My dad promissed us that after the world tour we could stay in one house for the next 5 years. After that, we will probably move houses but not another big move like this will be. If we came back to Christchurch, I would want to go to school, by a house, and play soccer.

I would like to go to school with my Friends at Mary How School because it has boys and girls . All my friends are going to it except JW, he is going to Christchurch Boys School. It is a really expensive all boys school that only he is going to. The only bad thing about Mary How School is they  don't offer school sports. So I will have to join soccer clubs. I really want to go to a school with all my friends, so I am not a complete stranger to the school that I will go to.

I want to  get a new home that is modern and stay there for over 1 year in Central New Brighton. That is my goal. My dad promised us that we would stay in a house for 5 years. I don't think that is very likely. But if we do, I would be really happy. I want to live close to my school, so I won't have to drive for ages to get to it. I want to live close to a store, so I could go to it and get candy.If I got that, I would  be really happy.

I would like to play soccer with my friends in a soccer club with all my school friends and my friends from Central New Brighton School. Especially JT. I want to go to school near my house and near some of my friends so we could hang out after school. That would be really cool. Plus we could have big party's at my house. I would be really happy, if I could have all these things.

If we live in Christchurch and get a nice house, go to a good school, and live close to school, soccer and my friends, I would be really happy with our situation. My dad promissed me that we could stay in one place for a while after the world tour. I am happy about that because we have been moving around for the last 13 years of my life. I think that it is time to stay put for a while, to see how it is to stay in one place.

The Charity Barn by mia

In the little street mall close to my house there are like five variety shops and charity barns where you can get some really nice things! If you are willing to dig around a bit, that is. When mommy gave us $10 each to get a Halloween costume the discount shops were pretty much the only places we could go. We went to the charity barn which is a big shop (if you can call it that) that people bring in used stuff and they sell it for a few bucks. All the money that comes in goes to charity. I've nicknamed it the dust barn because the dust in there is unbelievably thick. Its full of a bunch of people's crap that they don't want anymore, so most of it is stuff from the '70s and '80s.  There's everything from candles, to clothes, to random scraps of fabric. There are shoes for $2 and clothes for less than $1. I guess you pay for them by having to dig through the bins and loaded racks while breathing truckloads of dust into your lungs.... Anyways, I scored a pair of cute flats, two jackets, some cargo pants, and my whole Halloween costume besides the devil horns, tail and pointy trident thing. That was from the variety shop down the street for $3. All of the clothes together was about $7!!! I came out of the store in such a good mood that I gave a few bucks to the old man outside playing the harmonica. Inspired, I continued my search for painfully cheap things at a variety shop next door. There I found some $2 make up!! My lucky day! It was really crappy though, so I just got some eyeshadow in metalic colors and some red lipstick. Its great, but the eyeshadow has a hugely irritating tendancy to gather in the crease of my eyelids, so I made a mental note to not buy anymore cheap eyeshadow (and to buy heaps of cheap lipstick!!).My point here is that cute clothes are cute clothes. They're price doesn't affect their cuteness at all. If you have to go into the lair of the dust monster and dig through racks full of granny pants and leather flares, so be it. Just make sure you wash it all before you wear it. Chances are it's been there since the '70s!

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT NZ!!!:):) KAYLEY OCT.26.2011

THE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT NZ !!!

I love the beautiful beaches in Mt.Manganuie. 
I love the aqua color of the water over a reef.
I love the intelligent keas in Aurthur's Pass.
I love the exquisite kiwi accent.
I loved the colorful fireworks after the rugby game.
I love the deep fried  fish 'n' chips.
I love the changing colors of pier lights in New Brighton.
I love the awesome view of the beach from the library.
I love to watch the waves crashing against the sand.
I love how everyone goes to the library. 
I love the little mall by the library.
I love living in the garden city, Christchurch.

               LOVE,LOVE,LOVE

-KAYLEY SIENNA ROLPH

BAKING BREAD BY SARAH

  In Christchurch, New Zealand I learned how to make bread by watching my mom. Then, helping her out by getting her ingredients.  Then, making my own bread with her help, until I could do it by myself.  Now I want to share my recipe with you.

First, I put 6 cups of flour, a stick of softened butter, 2 eggs, and 1 teaspoon of salt into a large bowl.  Usually, my mom makes a hole in the middle of the ingredients to put the yeast water in and so do I.  To make the yeast water, I put 2 table spoons of sugar (any kind, but I prefer brown sugar) into 1/2 cup really warm water into a mug.  To tell if the water is the right temperature, I put my finger in the water and when I can hold it there for 10 seconds but no longer, it is the right temperature.  Then, I mix in 2 tablespoons of active dry yeast and wait 5 minutes until I see lots of froth.  That is when the yeast has grown enough.   
  
Next,  I put the yeast water in the flour hole and nead it with my hands. And I add water until the dough is sticky, but not wet.  Once I don't see any dry flour left in the bowl or around the bread dough, it is time to let the bread rise in a warm spot. I let the bread rise for about three hours. 

Finally, when the bread has doubled in size, I punch it down and nead all the air out of it.  Then, I roll it out flat with a jar or rolling pin, if you have one.  We us a jar, because we don't have a rolling pin.  To make plain bread, just roll up the flattened dough into a roll and put it on a greased sheet.  But, if I want cinnamon bread, I sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top of the flattened dough before rolling it up. Then I let the rolled dough rise again for about 1/2 hour when it is almost doubled in size.  Then I cook it in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20-30 minutes.  I can tell when it is done when the outside is golden brown and when you stick a toothpick or wooden spoon handle in it and it comes out clean.  When the bread is cooking, it smells really good.

My favorite part of baking bread is the eating part after I cook it.  I like to eat my bread while it is still hot with lots of salted butter.  The warm bread melts the butter and it tastes yummy and salty.
    

                   THE END

<><><><><><><><>SARAH ROLPH :):):):):):):):)

Costumes by Sarah

I am excited about Halloween, so I want to tell you about our costumes.  I think they are kind of boring.

Mia is going to be a devil for Halloween.  She got a bright red jacket and boots, a black dress, and a costume set with a pitchfork, a head band with horns on it, and a spiky tail.  I think her costume is very bright and it will be kind of scary on Halloween, especially with make up on.  She has red lipstick, four sticks of eyeliner, and she'll probably paint her face greeen with my acrylics. 

Kayley is going to be a princess.  She bought a crown with blue jewel in the middle of it.  She also got 2 pieces of fabric and princess like slippers to wear on Halloween.  With the 2 pieces of fabric, mommy and her sewed a gown with 2 layers and 2 ruffles on the skirt.  I think that no one will be scared of her, unless she puts tons of make up on and grows fangs.  But I don't think she will do that and she's going to look like a real princess.

Zander's costume is just a scary mask that looks like a ghost head with his mouth opened wide.  He's going to wear his big black coat and black pants so he will look like a scary ghost.

Mommy and Daddy didn't buy anything because they are going to be boring referees for Halloween.  They already have referee outfits because they are official referees and they brought them from California.

I will be a cat for Halloween.  I got a costume set with cat ears, a bow tie, and a tail from the Incredible Store in the New Brighton Mall.  I love my outfit!  When I brought it home, I ripped open the bag and put it on with my black All Star sweat pants and Mommy's black shirt.  I looked really cute!

Mommy and Daddy's costumes are the most boring things.  I think they should be something else, like an All Black Rugby player or Native Americans.  I think that everyone elses' costumes are more exciting.  Mia, Zander, Kayley, and my costumes are much more traditional, scary, and cool.  Mommy and Daddy aren't scary or traditional.  They need to be more exciting.

BREAD -a poem by SARAH :):):):):):)

Bread, bread I wish there was more .
Bread, bread I love to bake galore .
Bread, bread I like it for all eternity .
Bread, bread In so much beauty.
Bread, bread dough is so soft .
Bread, bread OK with all meals in the loft.
Bread, bread why is it here .
Bread, bread teach others how to make it everywhere. 
Bread, bread I love bread so much with luck.

Bread is the best in the world with so much duck! 

<><><><><><><><> Sarah Lor Rolph  :):):):):):)

Que pasa?!!! KAYLEY OCT.25.2011

Our Sydney adventure!!!!

           

          Monday was Labor Day in New Zealand, and we had a blast! It was a National holiday so people were on the street and it was a beautiful day.  My favorite things that happened on Labor day were, we went to the Penguin House and Countdown.  Also, we went to get  fish and chips and to the Charity barn.  We hade a great time shoping at the New Brighton Mall without mommy and daddy.  

           First Mia, Zander,Sarah and I  walked to the mall with our grants and got some change at the Penguin House. The Penguin House is a candie shop and all of us kids love going there because the guy who works there is really nice. One time, Mia went there and   she only hade enough money for two lolliepops. The man behind the counter gave each of us one lolliepop. That made me really happy.  

            Then we went to the Countdown to buy something. Zander and I both bought a liter of orange/mango/pineapple juice, it was really yummy.  Mia and Sarah didn't buy any thing.  I think it was because Sarah couldn't find any thing she could aford and Mia likes mooching of everybody else.

            Then we walked to the Charity Barn(the second hand shop that sells stuff for two dollars) to try on shoes.  There were mirrors on the columns in there that make you look really tall and skinny.  Mia really liked the mirrors and so did I. Mia bought two pairs of shoes, one for Sarah and one for herself. I regret not gettng anything there because there was a pair of shoes I really liked.  I really enjoy shoping whith my sisters.

          Then, we walked to the fish and chips shop.  Mia and Zander bought chips there.  When we finished the chips, we went back to the Charity Barn.  On the way, we saw mommy and daddy.  We pretended to ignore each other, because it wasn't the time when we walk home together yet. Mia shopped around the Charity barn  for a while.   At some point, we gave some of our change to and old man that was playing the harmonica. That made us all feel really great. 

               That day was really fun, because we got to be away from mommy and daddy for a while.   I think everybody hade fun because we didn't have to do any work.  Also no one was naging us about doing work.

                                                                          

<><><><>    -KAYLEY SIENNA ROLPH  :):0:):0:):0            

All Black Parade Tuesday10/25/2011 by Zander

We went to the All black parade earlier this week to celebrate them wining the World Cup against France. There were parades scedualed like this all over New Zealand. We went to the one in Christchurch because it was the closest.  Every one was really excited to go to the parade, but I wasn't. I wanted to stay with my friends at the Library.

When we got to the parade it was almost over. The All Blacks were just about to get back into there bus. They were holding up the gold World Cup for everyone to take pictures of them. My dad held Sarah up to take pictures, but she said "she couldn't see any of them" even I saw them.They all looked pretty worn out. There is no point in going to a parade, if the people that you are parading around don't want to be there. I don't blame them because they have been to a few of these  parades before Christchurch. It wasn't very exciting. All they did was smile at the crowd, while everyone took pictures. I wanted to be back at the library checking my face book and talking with my buddies.

When the players got into the bus, they had police escorts get them out to the street so they didnt run over any one. There were a lot of girls following the buses so they could get the All Blacks autographs. They are like the heros of New Zealand like when the Presidents have a parade. In the bus, Richy Macaw looked really tired. It wasn't very exiting for me or Richy.

When the buses left we started to walk back to the car. There was a big crowd everywhere, it took us ages to get there. I don't like crowds because it takes a long time to get any where because of all the people. On the way home, I thought that we had wasted our time. We had driven for 40 minutes there and back to go to the parade that we missed. We barely saw the All Blacks. I think that I could of had a way better time if I had stayed at the library hanging out with my friends.

Poem on the Great Course by Zander

Understanding the World's Greatest Structures

The great course makes us learn allot.
It teaches us about buildings.
He performs experiments and math problems.
While watching videos, a guy talks.
We learn about beams and columns.
Also we learn about trusses.
At some times gets boring, my mom sleeps.
But I bear with it.
We do experiments, after the lessons.
I really enjoy the experiments.
We all do math problems after.
I don't enjoy those.
We watch it in the evening's.
We watch one a day.
We learn about all the Great structures.

by Zander

THE SIX FOOT TRACK BY KAYLEY OCT,20.2011

:):):)We also saw Echinas.:):):)

        Hiking in Australia seemed really different from hiking in the USA.

           There weren’t so many eucalyptus trees were we hiked in the USA. In Glacier all the trees were pine and oak. And in Big Sur there weren't many trees at all. When we  hiked on the Six Foot Track we hiked mostly  in a eucalyptus forest. In the beginning we hiked through a temperate rain forest, I don't remember what type of trees there were,though. 

          In Australia, the climate changed a lot between temperate rain forest and dry eucalyptus forest. Usually, in the US there is only one type of climate in a National park or National forest.  Some times there are mountains with pine forests and snow.


           Seeing the kangaroos and wallabies were really cool and fun, you can't see that hiking in the US. We only saw bears,deer and rabbits in the US.  Also there were some exotic birds that make really cool sounds. One type of Australian bird makes a sound like a chain on a hollow,steel pole. 

             The USA and Australia are more different than I thought.

- KAYLEY SIENNA ROLPH 

• 

Our Experience with Jet star by Zander

On our flight back to  Christchurch from Sydney there were a lot of things that went wrong. First, when we were checking in, we found out that one of our flights has been cancelled. We needed to use that flight to get our boarding passes to go home. Because we needed to leave within 90 days and Jet Star needed to know it. My dad got really angry. I really wanted to get out of there because when my dad gets angry he is like a time bomb. So while my dad sorted it out, the rest of my family and I sat down and ate a snack. When he was done, he didn't check in our  1 bag. So my mom and I went to check our bag. While my dad took a walk. I found out that it costs 160$ to check one bag in at the airport with Jet Star. My mom almost exploded. But she maneged to check it in and not freak out. So when we got back to the table where everyone was waiting. we went to security. I tried to keep quiet because my parents were really mad. So we went through security with only 2 people getting patted down. My dad had a knife in his laptop bag and Mia got a random bomb search. We walked through the duty free shop. My dad bought some chocolate, and Mia bought more makeup of coarse. When we got to the gate, my dad bought some Fanta to mix with his vodka. After a few sips of that, he was much happier. When it was time to board, we got in line. I realized that the guy that my dad had yelled at was the guy that checked our boarding passes... He skipped us. Our day at the air port was a pretty exiting. I realized that we would be doing the same thing about 15 more times for the next year. I almost freaked out!!!!!

Jet star by Zander

Jet Star is a really cheap airline. They are the air line that we are going to use on our world tor until we get to India. I don't like them for a lot of reasons; firstly, there business plan, and secondly, there comfort.

What they do is they book a lot of flights to all their destinations. Then they leave it for a few weeks. When they come back, they cancel all the flights that are not full, and run the flights that are. They make a lot of people unhappy with them. They cancelled our flight to Cairns.

The second reason that I don't like Jet Star is that there fights are really uncomfortably. There seats are really swashed. Everything on the air plane costs money, except the bath room. All the other air lines that I have been on have given me free drinks, and some snacks. Jet star makes you pay outrages amounts for all of it, even water. Jet star is a really cheep airline and they are making a lot of people unhappy with their business models, and there lack of comforts.

1st Day at Ocean Beach Holiday Park by Zander

After the back pack ,we went to the Ocean Beach Holiday Parkat Umina beach, NSW . It was one of the top 10 holiday parks in Australia. At the holiday park there was a pool and a park. They also had lots of small kitchens all over, plus there was a game room by the pool. WE were going to stay in our tents. I wasn’t very happy with that. I wasn’t because we had just got on back form a backpack.  The first day at the Holiday park was a pretty fun, until I found out that we had to sleep in our tents.

Other than the sleeping accommodations, staying at the Holiday park was pretty fun. We could walk on the beach, swim in the pool, or play on the park, and we could jump on the jumping pillows. I did all of those activities on the first day. It was really hot. I spent most of my time at the pool or lounging around our camp site.

 I lounged around  until my dad made me go grocery shopping with him. We got lots of food and some ice to make drinks with. Once we had finished going grocery shopping we went to a liquor store. After browsing around, my dad didn't find anything that he liked. We got into the car and drove back to the Holiday park.  I really wanted him to get  some scotch or whiskey so I could try it. We ate some Ramen and went to bed that evening. I didn't want to sleep in our tent but we had to, because it was cheaper and we brought our tents so we might as well use them.

My first day at the Ocean Beach Holiday Park at Umina beach, NSW was a pretty good day because we got to play and lounge around for most of it. I would do it again because it was really relaxing.

Going onto the Navy Ships by Zander

                We went to the Maritime museum in Sidney. I wanted to go because there were some navy ships that were on display there. There was a destroyer and a Submarine on display. I really wanted to see the insides of the boats.
               
                We went to the submarine first. I was surprised that 60 people could fit in a space that was so small, but the captain gets his own room and bathroom. He made the crew and all there equipment squeeze into the rest of the ship. The whole ship had only one hallway and it was really narrow. I feel really sorry for the people that had to be in that ship. In the front there is a whole room devoted to the torpedoes. There were still torpedoes there but they probably weren’t any explosives in them. Right behind it was the sonar room. Everything in there was pretty old but it was still pretty cool. Seeing the Submarine made me feel really sorry for the people that had to live in subs for months at a time because there was a shortage of space.

            The Destroyer was a different factor. There were big bunk rooms and sitting areas and way more space than the sub. The only thing that was the same about them was that the captain got way more space then everyone else. He had two rooms and a bath room. The Captain had one sitting room and a bed room all to himself. Plus he and his officers get their own private dinning areas. Outside there were anti-aircraft guns and 3 turrets, with two guns on each turret ,and they were two four and a half inch guns on each of them. There was one turret on the back and two on the front. I know that if I had to join the navy, I would choose a Destroyer over a submarine  any day.

                                  

WILDLIFE WORLD BY SARAH

Last Sunday, we went to Wildlife World in Sydney, Australia. At the wild life reserve my family and I saw lots of animals like kangaroos,koalas and,wombats.

I think the Koalas were the main part of the wild life reserve. The koalas were quiet, cute, and fluffy. The koalas live in eucalyptus trees. When the koalas were climbing, we saw some really sharp claws that they used to climb trees.  When they were sleeping, they look like a statue.  We saw one climbing down a tree above another one sleeping.  The koala that was climbing put it's butt in the other koala's face.  I thought that was really funny.  But the climbing koala woke the sleeping koala up.  I don't think he thought it was funny.  The koala exhibit was really cool.
  Kangaroos were my favorite part of the Wildlife World because when they were sleeping they looked like they were drugged.  They laid on their backs all sprawled out in a very deep sleep in the warm sun in one corner near the slanted viewing window.  I really liked that I could see them all relaxed so closely.
  The wombat was really cute and reminded me of bull dogs and piggies.  I think that they are rare because maybe they were hunted by foxes and probably people.  They would be a good source of meat for Aborigines, the native Australians.  That's probably why there was only one in the exhibit.

     My family and I saw lots of Australian animals at Wildlife World, but the koalas, kangaroos, and wombat were the cutest.   

THE SIX FOOT TRACK By SARAH

         On the 13th of October, my family and I started the Six Foot Track hike in Australia's Blue Mountains. The hike was 45 KM (42km equals 26 miles, which equals a marathon!), and we hiked it in three days with heavy packs. I thought the hike was hard, but I'm proud of having finished it!
    The first day was the easiest day because it was the shortest and I wasn't sore yet. I hiked 7.5km mostly down some steep, wet, rocky, slippery, stairs in rainforest down to Nelly's Glenn which is a valley.  The trail was mostly empty because we got a late start and everyone was at the campsite already.  When I got to the campsite, it was crowded with hiking groups and it was almost dark.  I was not sore yet because it was all downhill and downhill doesn't make my legs hurt as much as up hill.
  The second day was the hardest because it was the longest, steepest, and I fell alot.  I hiked 29km that's about 15 miles and gained about 1000m in elevation all in one day!  I fell 3 times in 15 minutes because my Converses' have no grip going up hill.  They slipped.  But I didn't fall crossing the 3 rivers!  I got to our campsite when it was almost dark.  We had been hiking all day, except for rest stops.  It was a long day and my feet were really sore.  That night I slept really well.
  On the last day, we woke up early and my feet felt a little bit better from the night's sleep. I was anxious to get to the end of the trail.  It was 10km of mostly down hill, but it was tough because I was still sore.  I'm proud that I hiked a marathon in 3 days because barely any other 8 year old can do that.

Sarah and my volcano experement OCT.21.2011 KAYLEY

              Today Sarah and I made an attempt to make a baking soda volcano in the backyard. We found a recipe on the Internet so we started the mixing.   The first time we tried the volcano didn't explode when we pored in the vinegar and I think it was because we put in powdered detergent instead of liquid. The detergent was soposed to hold the bubbles in. Then we we went to the store to get some more vinegar then we made the same mixture but with liquid detergent and still it didn't explode.  This time the problem was that the soda bottle we were using was to small, so we make the mixture for the third time but this time it was in the extra vinegar bottle. And ... EUREKA it finally EXPLODED.

I LEARNED: I learned that every ingredient is important when you are doing a science experiment. I also learned that if you shake the bottle with the mixture up before exploding it the explosion is bigger.   


                                 THE RECIPE TO MAKE AN EXPLODING VOLCANO


                                  1. find a 1liter plastic bottle 
                                  2. fill it 3/4 up with WARM water 
                                  3. put 5 drops of LIQUID detergent 
                                  4. put 2 tablespoons of baking soda 
                                  5. pore the vinegar in and it'll explode 


-KAYLEY SIENNA ROLPH 

THE AQUARIUM BY KAYLEY OCT,20.2011

              I really like going to Aquariums and learning about animals. Last week we drove  from the holiday park to Sydney.   Along with a lot of other fun activities, we went to the Aquarium that was on the water front. We had bought tickets before hand, so we got our tickets checked and went in.
      The first exhibit was supposed to be a1 foot long platypus but I didn't see it .  I was really bumed about not seeing the platapus.   There were lots of big Lego people and animals made out of Legos all over the place, they were really cool, you could tell that Lego sponsored the Aquarium.   
        Also there were two huge tanks, one has two Dugongs  in it and in the other tank there were nurse sharks and reef sharks.  I didn't even know Dugongs existed before then, they were kind of like Manatees.   We spent a long time looking at the Dugongs because there was a talk going on and Sarah, Zander and I got to feed the fish that were in the tank with the Dugongs. I thought Dugongs were really interesting and cute.  I loved learning about them. 
       After we saw the shark tank, Sarah and I went back to the Dugong room to play a coloring game on the big touch screens. That  was kind of boring. Then Sarah got in a fight with a little kid. That, was funny.   Then we left, I know I had a lot of fun and I learned alot about Dugongs, and about the sea life that live around Australia.

- KAYLEY SIENNA ROLPH  :))     

What I like most last Wednesday! by Sarah

 Last Wednesday, we went to some of the tourist attractions in Sidney. We went to the Sydney Aquarium, the Sydney Sky Tower, and cruised to Watson’s Bay for lunch.  I thought Sydney was a fun place to visit.

            My favourite part was the Sydney Aquarium, because it had cool animals and lots of big Lego sculptures.  At the entrance, they had a sculptor of Poseidon out of Legos.  The sculptures were hollow with paper in side. I know this because one of the sculptures had a piece taken out and you could see the paper inside.  The animals at the aquarium had a good habitat to live in.  It could fool me into thinking it was the ocean because it was big, if I was snorkelling in it.  I saw some crabs, lobsters, sea horses, penguins, dugongs, sharks, an lots of other sea animals.  I got to feed the fish in the dugong tanks brown pellets after the presentation.  I think the fish liked the food because they gobbled it up.  I didn’t think it smelled very good.  The dugongs ate lots of Romaine lettuce.  I liked the animals and sculptures at the aquarium.

            At the Sydney Sky Tower, we took the lift to get up a really high floor to see the city from above.  But first we watched a 4D movie about Sydney.  When the people in the movie got wet, we did too!  I thought it was really cool.  The view of the city from above was really pretty.  We waited until it got dark to see the city light up.  It lit up slowly, so by the time the city lit up, we were really tired and bored, so we went down and got some food at the Noodle Festival in the park.  On the way down the elevator, we got stuck at different floors with a couple from Asia.  I thought the Sky Tower was a good place to see the city.

            Captain Cook’s Cruise took us from Darling Harbour, where the aquarium is, to Watson’s Bay.  I thought the boat was a good way to see the city from the water.  We went by the Opera House, Circular Quay, under the Harbour Bridge, and lots of other famous sites around Sydney Harbour.  We hopped off at Watson’s Bay and had fish-n-chips for lunch.  I thought Watson’s Bay would be a good place to raise a child because its right next to a beach and it had fun parks.

            I feel like I have seen lots of Sydney after last Wednesday and think that it is a huge, busy, and a trafficky city.  I would like to live there, but not in the city centre.  I would like to live in Watson’s Bay instead where it is quiet.

Day at the Aquarium by Zander

 I went to the Sydney Aquarium to learn about the wild life around Sydney. In the Aquarium we saw the sharks, dugongs, and some awesome Lego sculptures. I learned a lot at the aquarium in Sydney.

 The dugongs reminded me of hippopotamuses in Washington D.C. with my grandparents 2 years ago. I went to a zoo where they had hippos. The dugongs reminded me of the hippos because the dugongs have the same lazy expression and they float around. The dugongs don’t do much like the hippos because they are really big. I have never seen dugongs before. There were 2 of them; one male, one female. The person that looked after the dugongs wanted them to have babies.  It would mean that there would be more dugongs. They are an endangered species. While I was watching the dugongs, I got to feed the other fish that were in the same tank. I had a really fun time feeding the fish and watching the dogongs as they played around.

At the shark pool, I sat down and listened to the aquarium speaker explained the different types of sharks. She also told us about how to be safe around sharks and that there is a really low chance of getting attacked by a shark. I figured out that more people get struck by lightning then get attacked by sharks. It reminded me of Morro Bay Junior Guards and all there safety briefings.  But at least I learned something.

I realized that there were lots of Lego sculptures all around the aquarium and they were all by a master Lego builder. It was pretty amazing that someone could build all those figures all through the aquarium. There was a sculpture of Poseidon at the start and there were figures telling you where to go all through the aquarium. It was pretty amazing that someone did all of them.

I had a really fun time learning about the dugongs, and then watching and learning about the sharks as the Aquarium speaker told us about the shark.  My favorite part was watching the dugongs and feeding the fish. At the aquarium I learned a lot about the fish, dugongs, and Sharks. I wouldn't mind going there again.

Zander

Backpack in Blue Mountains by Zander

I wasn’t really looking forward to backpacking, and all the uphill in it.  This would be a chance to see all the Australian wildlife while they are not in a zoo.  I was not looking forward to sleeping in a tent for 2 nights. I went on a 29 km backpack (which is about a marathon) in one day. I saw kangaroos, wallabies, , scorpions, bugs, birds, and rabbits. Seeing all these animals and backpacking a marathon made me feel really good about myself.

                On the first day, we had to stop short; because we weren’t going to make it to the camp site that we were support to go to. So, we were going to have to hike for a really long time the next day. We were going to hike 29 kilometres and gain 800 metres in one day.  We had a really hard day ahead of us. I really didn’t want to do it, because I had to carry a really heavy pack. There was also a real shortage of water in the place that we were hiking through until we got to the next camp. 

               

                 On the hike, we saw a lot of amazing animals. There were heaps of kangaroos and wallabies eating grass around the trail. We got lots of good pictures of them. There were a few iguanas and rabbits that were scatter around the place. The most disgusting thing was all the bugs and scorpions that were everywhere; we caught a scorpion at our camp and cut it up with a knife. There were also echidna (porcupine like animals) that would curl up and be still when we walked by. There were some amazing animals, but my favourites were the kangaroos because they stared at me and wiggled their ears.

                When we finally got to the camp site, I barely could walk. My whole bottom half of my body was sore. When we finally sat down and waited for water to boil, I took of my shoes and socks to find 2 blisters. For the rest of the night, barely anybody got up. We ate dinner, and went to bed really early. I knew that it was good that we finished all the hiking that day. So the last day would be an easy walk.

                My favourite part of this backpack was sitting down by the fire, eating soup at night while listing to the birds. My least favourite part was hiking up the really steep incline with no water and feeling my feet hurt with every step. Persevering through this backpack and seeing all the amazing animals made me feel really good about myself. I learned that I could walk for a really long time with no water and a heavy pack if I needed to.

Zander

Sydney Skytower by mia

On Wednesday we went to the Sydney Tower which is pretty much just a really tall tower in the middle of the city. It doesn’t have much of a purpose besides attracting tourists. The tower sprouts out of a Westfield Mall (probably the biggest out of the four I have seen in Australia and New Zealand) and has a few floors that hang high above the city. There’s a lounge, a restaurant, and observation deck with a gift shop. There is another floor too which is another restaurant and bar. We went to a 4D movie thing that was really cool and then we went through a metal detector and into a little triangular elevator that went up to the top really fast. It actually stopped too early and opened up before going to the observation deck where we were going. The elevators were kind of broken. They stopped at the wrong place on both of out rides. When we finally got to the top, we got out of the elevator and walked around and around the circular tower room looking out on Sydney through the windows. There were binoculars and stuff every few meters along the edge so you could see better. There was a really good view of the city because it’s the tallest building in Sydney. We saw the whole harbour with the opera house and the bridge and a really cool cathedral that was across from a park. The park was really crowded because there was $5 noodles that night. You would be surprised at how many people that attracts. It wasn’t dark yet and daddy wanted to see the bridge light up so we stayed for a while until it got dark. The kids all looked around in the gift shop and I found some pretty cool stuff. There were kangaroo scrotums (eww!!) that they sold as souvenirs and some really nice calendars. When it got dark we looked out for a while longer before taking the elevator down (it went  up and down a few times before letting us off) and going to see if we could get some $5 noodles. The lines were too long so we settled for some $5 sushi before walking back to the car and driving back to the holiday park we were staying at.

Holiday Parks by mia

On this trip we have stayed in two different holiday parks. The first one was near Sydney and the other one was right on the beach in Umina. In both holiday parks we had to sleep in a tent so I haven’t slept in a bed in like two weeks. So pretty much I haven’t slept much at all. Both parks have a swimming pool, jumping pillow and showers and stuff, but one has a kitchen and the other doesn’t. The one we are staying in now doesn’t have a kitchen but we found a nice little spot with a picnic table and grill. Also, the pool at this park has a waterslide! It’s kind of a lame waterslide and its really short but we go down it backwards or upside down and then it’s really fun. Both pools had a hot tub but this one isn’t hot at all. The only cool thing about it is that when you plug up the jets water come spouting out the air intake holes. In one of them the water spouts up like seven feet! We had some good water fights with those. Both jumping pillows were pretty much the same. They are giant pillows that are made of rubber (like bounce houses) and blown up with air. They are really fun to jump on but only if Zander isn’t there pushing people off. This holiday park is really close to a big park with one of those exercise circuit things that don’t really exercise you. There is also a really big rope climbing structure that Sarah is pretty obsessed with. A bit farther down the road is the Umina town centre. That consists of about five discount variety shops, three chemists, two supermarkets, 3 kebab restaurants, lots of fish and chips, two surf shop outlets, and a few other nice shops. All this smashed into about 3 blocks. It’s pretty nice except I don’t think its necessary to have like 3 of the same shops within three blocks. We went there yesterday and had kebabs for dinner. They were delish! Mommy got the curry and it didn’t really agree with her stomach so she was really gassy for the rest of the day…. Fun!!

Aquarium by mia

On Wednesday (the 27^th) we went to the aquarium in Sydney. It was really cool because there was a giant Lego sculpture of Poseidon in the lobby. There were a bunch of Lego sculptures like that all over the aquarium. The other really cool one was of Moby Dick. The first exhibit was supposed to be a platypus but I didn’t see it. All I saw in that tank was a giant lizard thing. The next few were kinda boring until the crab one. There was a tank with two huge crabs inside. They were like two feet wide! Then we went to see some penguins get fed but they were boring penguins that were really small so I just kept going by myself. I went to see the dugongs in their tank and that was really cool. They are huge! They are also really rare. They look like a mix of an elephant seal and a hippopotamus and all they eat is lettuce! The tanks were the kind where they have walkways for people in tubes inside them so we could get really close and see them really well. They came all the way against the glass so we were only a few inches away. The two dugongs in the tank had to share with a bunch of other fishes and stingrays so it was pretty crowded. I felt sorry for them because they are supposed to live in the ocean which is huge and they have to live in a small tank with a bunch of other animals. After the dugongs I went to the next tube tank full of sharks. That was my favourite I think. It was sadder than the other one though because they were even more closely packed with all kinds of sharks and even a bunch of fish that I am pretty sure they would eat in real life. There were also a few gigantic stingrays that were like six feet long with two foot long stingers. Some of the sharks were that big too but I don’t think they had any great whites because there were only the kinds of sharks that live in the Great Barrier Reef. There was also a sea turtle that looked really old. After that I went to the Great Barrier Reef exhibit and found mommy. She said that everyone else was at the dugongs so I went through that one and the shark one again. Then we all went to the Great Barrier Reef exhibit and listened to the shark talk before we left.

Cruise

On Wednesday (the 27^th) we went on a cruise around Sydney harbour. We saw the opera house, the bridge and a bunch of little bays and stuff. There was also a random fortress in the middle of the harbour that was pretty much sitting on a little rock. We stopped for lunch at a nice bay that had a good fish and chips place. Before lunch we walked around and played at a park for a little bit. Then we ordered some fish and chips and ate lunch. Before the boat came to pick us up we sat on the beach for a little while there were some really cool shells and the sand was the colour of perfectly cooked marshmallows. Then we went back on the boat and cruised back to Darling harbour to go to the aquarium.

THE WATERSLIDES BY KAYLEY 10/9/2011

                  Yesterday, for Zander's birthday we went to the wateslides.   It was a two hour drive to the  water slides so we had to leave kind of early so we could be back in time for the rugby game.   When we got to the water slides it was raining and really cold so we probably won't go on the water slides but there were big thermal pools.  Then we went in to the place were we pay for the tickets and then we went out to  the the changing rooms to change in to our swim suits. Then we got into one of the thermal pools, the thermal pools were really warm and they had benches all around the sides and two benches in the middle, Then we went to the rock pool and daddy and mommy went to the spa pool that was an only adults  pool.   Then Mia, Zander, Sarah and I went back to the thermal pool and warmed up and then Sarah and I went to check out the lazy river and I really liked it so Sarah went to tell Mia and Zander to come over.  Then Zander started to splash us an steel our floaty things and flipping us over. I really  hate it when Zander does that because he ruins the fun. Other than that  I had fun at the water slides. 

-KAYLEY

The hot springs ~mia

Today we went to some hot springs that are a 2 hour drive away from here. We went there because its Zander’s birthday. We are also planning to go out to dinner at KFC. I guess the belly dancer at the Turkish restaurant we went to on my birthday scared him away from fancy restaurants. We were supposed to get up really early but that didn’t happen so we ended up leaving at around 9. We got to the hot springs at like 11 and stayed until 2 or so. It was basically just a bunch of giant hot tubs of varying temperatures and signs that boasted mineral content or something. The hottest pools were adults only which was really lame because people who are under 18 can handle super-hot water too. There were also a few water slides that we didn’t go on because you have to pay extra. We did go in the lazy river which was really tiny and the current was really strong so you would just go along really fast bumping into the walls. I got a few bruises from that one. There was a lap pool, like 3 different adult only pools, 3 big hot tubs that anyone could go in, and some rock pools that were a bit too cold for me. I spent most of the time in the hottest of the normal hot tubs. It was really nice.

School ~ mia

Heres a random picture of the Italy vs America game... can't go wrong with buff guys in short shorts!!!

This week I have been going to bet really late (or early in the morning) and then getting up at seven to go to school. As you can imagine, that has made me a bit tired so I really wasn't up for any crap at school or anything. I have been going to school for a while now (a bit more than a month) and I know it is probably the worst school in Christchurch (no, I have no idea why my brilliant parents put me there!). The students are really mean to eachother and they swear at the teachers, throw things at the teachers, hit the teachers (seriously) and only get suspended for a day or two. Swearing at the teachers just gets you sent out or mabe just a warning because they're so used to it. Approximately 90% (or more) of the students smoke/ drink, etc and most of them do it at lunch and break... and before school and after school. The teachers all know it too, because they all yell about it in class. Example: 'Hey! you coming drinking this weekend?' or 'F**k, man I got soooo wasted/stoned last weekend!!'. Maybe all high schools in this country are like this, but I seriously doubt it's this bad. I feel really bad for the teachers, but then again, its sorta their fault. I mean, the kids do it because they know they can get away with it without doing any perminant damage on their life. All it will be is a few 2 day suspensions and the whole year on daily report. And I thought Laguna was bad when I went there! Maybe its because Aranui is so much smaller. Thats what I've noticed with smaller schools, there is more bad stuff going on (like Colorado). But Colorado was no where near as bad as this. I came home on Thursday just totally sick of going there because I was learning nothing at all and there was really no point for me to go there anymore. The students are all really mean to eachother and the teachers, I learn nothing because they are all way behind the USA, and I don't really have any really good friends there anyway.