Hundreds of years ago Aotearoa was discovered by Polynesian voyagers travelling aboard their wakas. This term the Year 8 cohort are researching about what it was like in pre-European Aotearoa. Luckily we had the opportunity to go and learn from some experts at the Maritime Museum about the ways of the early Polynesians that discovered the land that we live on today.
The Maritime Museum had many large, life-size waka and other boats which helped students imagine how the Polynesians travelled back in their time. The Year 8s learnt about how the Polynesian people travelled and what they used to navigate through the large, vast ocean. We were taken through a workshop where we learnt about the use of the sun and stars to navigate and were taught how the Polynesians built their waka.
We also had the chance to explore the museum and go on a waterfront walk. Some classes were lucky enough to watch the tiny but powerful cannon go off at midday and shoot into the harbour. It was a great experience, and everyone took away a lot of information from it.
We would like to thank the people from the Maritime Museum who taught us about the important history of our country, and to all the teachers and parent helpers who came along and made it a fantastic day.
