Yesterday my whole class walked across the road to visit the very old stone cottage. When we got there we saw Terry and Patrick, who share their time by showing people around the cottage, without getting paid. At first we walked around the cottage because Room 2 was still inside.

I found it interesting when Terry told us that the cottage was moved all the way from Mt Wellington, near McDonald to where it is now. Terry said there is a stream that flows under the shops but we mustn’t drink from it now because it is dirty.

Then we went inside the cottage. The first room we entered was the living room and saw Josephine sitting on the swinging chair very quietly. There were many photos and old things like a framed embroidery work made by a 13 year old girl, a portrait of Phoebe Dunn and a basket full of colorful yarn for knitting. 

Next was the kitchen. Terry showed us the washboard made out of wood. They did not have a washing machine in those days. There was a special cup for men to use so their mustache wouldn’t get wet when they drank tea. She also showed us the bellow which was used to keep the fire burning when they cook food. 

Then it was time to go up stairs. I discovered that there were two rooms on each side and we went to the first room filled with ancient things in them. I thought our trip was very interesting.

Today in Room 6 we had Bigfoot Adventure Cycling come to help us learn to cycle safely. The instructors were Kate and Kyla. Then we went outside and they told us the letters a, b, c, d, and q to check if our bikes were safe to ride. I was not confident so I went with Kate under the canopy. At first we had to sit on the seat, hold the handle bars and push your feet on the ground. I was a bit slow at first because I didn’t want to fall off.

Later I felt confident enough to go up and down the ramp. I was a little bit scared but I forced myself to be brave. After morning tea Kate took us to the canopy to practice our riding skills again and to check our bikes before riding.

When we were done fixing our bikes we went down to the bottom court to ride our bikes again. When we got there it started to rain so we went back to the canopy and played a game called: Buddy Up. It was fun. This was one of my favorite days ever at school.

Last week we created a Matariki star and it was quite hard because many people were away. We used wool which we wove around a round piece of cardboard making the pointy bits of the stars. We also made a comic strip about the Legend of Tawhirimatea. Some people wanted to create more stars using even more wool added to their star. I cannot wait till next year when we may create another Matariki star.

Hi my name is Hideaway Tom and I live in the Coorong, which is a 90 mile beach between the sea and the estuary. I am never lonely even though everyone calls me a hermit. Storm Boy and I moved to the Coorong because we wanted to live a quiet life in nature. We have to find food every day from the sea and from the land but we are happy.

I am……………………………………….. Hideaway Tom.

Yesterday we did Ki o rahi tournament and we had to listen to couch Trey. Our houses are Rimu, Kauri, Totara and Rata. We also brought Room 7 and 8 so that it can be even. When the games were done Kauri won, Totara was 2nd and Rimu and Rata were 3rd. I love playing Ki o Rahi.

Last Thursday at St Patrick’s School, we were having ANZAC cookies. Mrs. Agnew brought the biscuits for us in Room 6. They tasted yummy and  delicious. When I ate one, I could taste coconut and sugar but the biscuit was as hard as a rock. During the World War, women were baking ANZAC cookies for their husbands who were fighting in the war.