Shannon Gunter

New Zealand Kiwi, Maori, and Pavlova A Hands-on Lesson


Hands-on Lesson on New Zealand

Hands-on Lesson on New Zealand

Do you want to know more about New Zealand? Are you a lover of travel, geography teacher, homeschooling or involved parent, student, or life-long learner? In an effort to make world geography more meaningful and memorable, I’ve compiled all you will need to locate New Zealand on a map, cook a Kiwi meal, watch YouTube clips on New Zealand, color the flag, create a Kiwi craft, read a great book about New Zealand, and more!

Where is New Zealand?

Map showing New Zealand's location

Map showing New Zealand’s location

  • Locate New Zealand on this map of Australia/Oceania.

  • Use this map of New Zealand to label the capitol, Wellington.

  • Mark other relevant features (rivers, mountains, famous locations, etc.) if desired.

  • If you’d like to spend a bit more time researching the country, you can add the language, currency, type of government, religion, and/or famous landmarks. Write them on the back of the map. You can easily find all this information at http://en.wikipedia.org/.

Top 5 Fun Facts About New Zealand

Pohutukawa tree, known as New Zealand's Christmas tree

Pohutukawa tree, known as New Zealand’s Christmas tree

  • Bungee jumping was invented in New Zealand.

  • Christmas in New Zealand follows soon after midsummer’s day. Many northern hemisphere traditions carry over to New Zealand, including decorated pine trees and Christmas cards showing snow and reindeer. The pohutukawa tree comes into peak-bloom in late December and is known as New Zealand’s Christmas tree.

  • New Zealand is part of ‘The Pacific Rim of Fire’. Mount Ruapehu, situated in central North Island, is the most active volcano of the country. It last erupted in 2007 and tends to erupt about every 50 years.

  • To become a New Zealand citizen, you must swear an oath of loyalty, which includes a commitment to the reigning monarch, currently King Charles III.

  • New Zealand is home to the largest flightless parrot (kakapo), biggest earthworms, smallest bats, heaviest insect (a weta), some of the oldest trees and many of the rarest species of birds, insects, and plants in the world.

New Zealand’s Flag

Flag of New Zealand

Flag of New Zealand

  • Print and color the flag of New Zealand and learn the history and meaning of it from http://en.wikipedia.org/ .

  • The New Zealand Ensign includes the British Union Jack in the upper left corner as a symbol of British authority, which began ruling the nation in 1844. To the right are four red stars centered within four white stars, which represent the Southern Cross (or Crux) constellation, which is a prominent feature of the southern hemisphere’s night sky.

Maori & the History of New Zealand

New Zealand Maori

New Zealand Maori

  • The Maori, or Tangata Whenua, are the native peoples of New Zealand, arriving from other Pacific islands between 800-1500 years ago. According to one legend, they arrived from the island of Hawaiki in seven canoes.

  • They initially hunted moas, which were large birds similar to an emu or ostrich.

  • In 1642 Dutch explorer Abel Tasman sailed around and mapped part of the North Island but sailed away after a dispute with the Māori.

  • In 1769 English explorer James Cook sailed around and mapped part of New Zealand. Shortly after this, many European settlers began visiting the island to hunt seals and to trade. The diseases they brought killed about half the Maori population between 1820-1920, with the Māori population dropping from 200,000 to about 42,000.

  • In 1840, the British government signed the Treaty of Waitangi with 45 Māori chiefs. The British did not honor their treaty, so for the next 30 years, the British battled the Māori. Eventually the British defeated the Maori.

  • In the last few decades there has a been a resurgence of interest in reviving the Māori language and customs.

Maori: 3 Fun Facts

Reconstruction of a moa hunt

Reconstruction of a moa hunt

  • Moa: Māori used to hunt moa, which were flightless birds (like an emu) that grew to be 10 feet high and up to 500 pounds. Moa were hunted to extinction. A Dallas-based company, Colossal Bioscience, is working on bringing the species back. You can read more at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/colossal-biosciences-next-big-feat-163007579.html

  • Otago Gold Rush: New Zealand had a gold rush following the gold rushes in California and Australia. Māori had long known about the gold in Central Otago, but they had no use for the ore. They relied on greenstone for weapons and tools, and they used greenstone, obsidian, and bone carvings for jewelry. In 1861, Gabriel Read, an Australian prospector who had hunted gold in both California and Australia, found gold in a creek bed at Gabriel’s Gully, which ignited a 4-year gold rush with 14,000 prospectors swarming into the area in just the first year. You can read more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otago_gold_rush

  • “Head Hunters”: Instead of mummifying an entire body like the Ancient Egyptians did, Māori preserved the heads and stored them in ornate boxes. Someone described it as a way of preserving a family member’s memory like what we now do with old family photos. Tribal chief heads were also used as bargaining chips after battles. While preserving the head, the eyes and brain were removed and holes were sealed with flax fiber and gum. The head was boiled then smoked, before being dried in the sun and treated with shark oil. In the 1800s when there was a surge for curious objects (“curios”) from around the world, the British traded guns for preserved Māori heads, known as Mokomokai, as the heads usually had the traditional tattoos known as moko. You can read more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toi_moko

History of New Zealand

Traditional Maori Meal

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To prepare a traditional Maori meal, prepare fish (or chicken you can pretend is moa) and sweet potatoes. Serve with tea.

Prepare a Modern New Zealand Meal: Fish and Chips (“fush and chups”)

New Zealand Modern Meal: Fish and Chips, Peas, Lolly Cake, and English Tea

New Zealand Modern Meal: Fish and Chips, Peas, Lolly Cake, and English Tea

Prepare and serve:

  • Breaded Fish

  • “Chips” (French fries)

  • “Tomato sauce” (ketchup)

  • Peas

  • Pavlova OR Lolly Cake

  • English tea (optional: add milk and sugar)

Fish and Chips

Fish and chips

Fish and chips

Tip: To shorten the cooking and prep time use frozen, breaded fish fillets.

Prep timeCook timeReady inYields

35 min

25 min

1 hour

4

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1 package French fries
  • Oil

Instructions

  1. Cut fish filets into 2 x 1/-1/2-inch pieces. Pat dry with paper towels. Mix flour and salt. Mix baking soda and vinegar. Stir vinegar mixture and water into flour mixture; beat until smooth. Dip fish into batter, allowing excess batter to drip into bowl. Fry 4 or 5 fish pieces at a time (do not use basket) about 3 minutes, turning fish once, until brown. Drain on paper towels. (This recipe came from food.com.)
  2. Fry French fries in the remaining oil OR bake them in the oven before you begin making the fish.

Option 1: Pavlova (Meringue topped with whipped cream and fruit)

Pavlova (Meringue topped with whipped cream and fruit)

Pavlova (Meringue topped with whipped cream and fruit)

Prep timeCook timeReady inYields

15 min

1 hour

1 hour 15 min

6-8

  • 4 egg whites
  • 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 cup superfine sugar, (Option: Use regular sugar pulsed in a food processor until grains are half their size)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sliced fruit
  • sliced (kiwifruit is most common but berries or peaches also taste good with this)
  • 1 1/2 cups lightly sweetened whipped cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a shallow baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large dry bowl, sprinkle cream of tartar over egg whites and beat until stiff. Whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Add the mixture to the egg whites a tablespoon at a time, while beating on medium speed, until all ingredients are combined. The meringue should be shiny, white, and stiff. Fold in vanilla extract. Reduce oven heat to 200°F Mound the meringue on the baking sheet in a round shape about 6 inches in diameter. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off oven, leaving meringue in the oven until it is cold or overnight. Top with whipped cream and arrange fruit over top. (This recipe came from food.com.)

Option 2: Lolly Cake

Lolly Cake - In the log form

Lolly Cake – In the log form

A slice of the lolly cake we made

A slice of the lolly cake we made

(Directions written for Americans)

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup butter, melted

  • 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk

  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut (for mixing in)

  • 1 package graham crackers, smashed into crumbs (2 cups smashed)

  • 1 heaping cup mini-marshmallows (preferably colored ones)

  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut (for rolling in)

Instructions

  1. Combine the butter and sweetened condensed milk.

  2. Mix in 1/4 cup shredded coconut and 2 cups graham cracker crumbs.

  3. Gently add the mini-marshmallows.

  4. On parchment or wax paper, roll into a log and roll in 1/2 cup shredded coconut.

  5. Refrigerate until hard enough to cut into slices.

(This recipe is inspired by https://www.food.com/recipe/new-zealand-lolly-log-cake-10385 and https://www.chelsea.co.nz/recipes/browse-recipes/lolly-cake .)

Craft Project: Kiwi Bird Finger Puppet

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Art Project: Maori-inspired bookmark

Fence from Rotorua, New Zealand decorated in Maori style

Fence from Rotorua, New Zealand decorated in Maori style

Maori-inspired bookmarks created by elementary students in Grades K-5

Maori-inspired bookmarks created by elementary students in Grades K-5

  • Create Maori art bookmarks by following the directions at www.activityvillage.co.uk.

  • I allowed older students to use black and red Sharpie Markers and my PreK and K kids used washable markers. Children had the choice of using precut cardstock or craft sticks. The could also “laminate” them in clear packaging tape.

Haka

A haka performed by the national rugby union team ("All Blacks") before a game.

A haka performed by the national rugby union team (“All Blacks”) before a game.

Wearing homemade Maori costumes while performing the Haka

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  • Hakas are Maori action songs. Both men and women perform them and there are a variety of purposes from intimidating an enemy to celebrating love.

  • The most well-known haka is performed by the All Blacks, the New Zealand national rugby team, before its games. They have been performing the Ka Mate haka since 1905.

  • A couple haka videos we enjoyed watching include:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiKFYTFJ_kw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_OMxvhc358

How to Perform the Haka

Read a Book About New Zealand

New Zealand Abcs by Holly Schroeder Maui and the Sun by Gavin Bishop - Images are from amazon.com.Kiwi & Little Blue: And what makes a bird a bird? by Emily Brunner To the Top! Climbing the World's Highest Mountain (Step-Into-Reading, Step 5) by Sydelle Kramer

New Zealand Abcs by Holly Schroeder

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Pray for the people of New Zealand

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  • Christianity was introduced to New Zealand in 1814 by Samuel Marsden, a missionary sponsored by the Church of England’s Church Missionary Society. From missionaries, the Māori not only learned about Christianity but also about European farming practices and trades and how to read and write.

  • In 1845, over half the Māori population were attending church.

  • Even though Christians are the single largest religious group (32% of the population), the number is rapidly declining. According to a 2023 census, 51.6% of the population stated they had no religion.

  • To find out about the religious nature of New Zealand and specific ways you can pray for the country, go to operationworld.com.

Animals of New Zealand

Places to Visit

More YouTube Videos We Enjoyed on New Zealand

Where is Wellington, the capital of New Zealand?

I haven’t been to New Zealand. Have you?

Other countries starting with the letter N

Would you prefer to study a different country? Try one of these.

Namibia

Nauru

Nepal

Netherlands

New Caledonia

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

Niue

Norfolk Island

Northern Cyprus

Northern Mariana Islands

Norway

Ready to visit other countries?

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  • Go to around-the-world-in-26-letters to find links to all the countries we “visited.” Each webpage features a menu, craft, books, video clips, worksheets, and more!

© 2011 Shannon

What do you love about New Zealand? – Please leave a note to let me know you dropped by! Thank you for visiting!

Blackspaniel1 on April 22, 2012:

Nice lens

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