"Boy that gate is crowded. I meant the gate to the Te Awhina Marae. This place tells stories."
The hall was crowded with Brightwater and Parkland School children, as well as parents. "Hey look, Parkland School is by those cool windows."
It took a long time to get to the Marae, traveling by car. The Meeting House was filled with Maori patterns and carvings. It's flash too. Mr Hikuroa and the Matau each did a speech. Brightwater School gave a gift (koha) to the Marae.
We had a shared lunch and we were allowed two pieces of food at the start. It took a while. Then we went on a tour around the Marae. It turned out, the man who made the carvings in the Meeting House was still working on the Marae. I loved seeing the man carving because I didn't know he would be there. It was a fun day.
Matt"Wow! that's a wonderful place, we had just got to the Marae. What? Why was Parkland School there?" They sung some waiatas to us and they were pretty cool.
"Now food, Yum!" First we had two things to eat and we had turns getting food with Parklands School. People saw the maori patterns on the walls of the Meeting House. Parkland School did a scary haka. The ladies who showed us around were Fire Sue and Fire Sarah.
The Meeting House has a spine, head and ribs.We saw the guy who did all the carvings in the Meeting House (Wharenui). That was pretty awesome! There was weaving and it was about being a life long learner. We learned heaps about the Marae.
Brynn
