Taronga Zoo

   What an exciting day! Sydney has a wonderful zoo on its harbour, called the Taronga Zoo. There are many exotic animals there, including many that call Australia home.

   The day was made even more exciting because I was joined by two students from Byng!

  Many of you know Moraya Landry (grade 3) and her brother Austin (grade five.) Along with their parents, they are living in Sydney for six months. They've started going to school here, where they wear a special blue and yellow school uniform each day. 

   We had a lot of fun seeing all of the animals and sharing stories about Sydney. Take a look at these pictures:

Here's Moraya getting up close and personal with a "Fierce Snake," an Australian snake whose venom is strong enough to kill 200,000 mice (yes ... there's glass between Moraya and the snake!)

Sydney's Harbour

   Much of what happens in Sydney is centred around its harbourfront. There was a lot of excitement this week because the Queen Mary 2, one of the largest passenger ships in the world, sailed into the harbour. It is 3 1/2 times the size of the Titanic!

   There is a lot of wildlife that lives in the harbour. You can see fairy penquins (the smallest of all the penguins), seals, dolphins and plenty of fish. In fact, the water in the harbour is the cleanest it has been for almost 40 years, due to reduced commercial shipping traffic and stricter environmental regulations. And so the water is healthier for all wildlife, including ... SHARKS!

   People are concerned because there have been a lot more sharks spotted in the harbour these last few weeks. In fact, a navy diver working in the harbour was attached and he lost his leg and hand to a shark attack. This is a picture from the cover of the newspaper two days ago:

   But Australians are used to sharks and they take proper precautions (like not swimming at dawn or dusk, when sharks typically feed.) Also, they build swimming enclosures, like this one on Watsons Bay (there are iron grills preventing sharks from swimming into them.)

   Here's one more picture for all of you at Byng, taken on Sydney's Harbourfront:

Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb

   Do you see that bridge behind me in the picture to the left? It's called the "Sydney Harbour Bridge," and it was completed 77 years ago. It joins the northern and southern parts of Sydney, and thousands of cars, buses, bicycles and trains cross it every day.

   Guess what I did? I joined a group of people that climbed to the very top of it!

   There is a very popular tourist attraction here in Sydney called the "Harbour Bridge Climb," and for a fee you can learn how to make your way to the very top.

   First of all, you have to change into a climbing outfit. Then, you have to take off anything on your body that might fall off, like earrings, necklaces and hats (you can keep your glasses, but you have to attach a lanyard to them.) That's for the safety of the drivers and pedestrians on the bridge below.

Here I am in my special climbing suit.

 

   After 1,437 steps (I didn't count them; the guide told me there were that many), I was at the top. The views were amazing; I could see Sydney's Olympic Stadium, the Blue Mountains, the Tasman Sea and of course the Opera House, which is very close to the Harbour Bridge. It was an amazing experience!

I did it!

Bondi Beach

There is a very beautiful and popular city beach here in Sydney called "Bondi Beach." " Many people swim and surf there, and it even has a small salt water pool that gets filled when sea water crash over the sides.

Here is the salt water pool, filled with water from the sea.

The Tasman Sea is very warm (22 degrees) and the surf is amazing! There are plenty of surf schools that teach young people how to ride the waves.


On the second day I was at Bondi, a strong wind was blowing in from the sea. And that wind brought a whole bunch of jellyfish with it. The bluebottle jellyfish is bluish-purple, and its long tentacles sting when you touch them. So the lifeguards were warning people not to go in the water, but a lot of folks decided to risk it. And many were stung. The only thing you can do when that happens is to get some ice to take down the swelling a bit.

Here is one of the bluebottles on shore.

Sydney, Australia

I arrived in the beautiful city of Sydney on a rather sad day. February 22 was declared a "National Day of Mourning" for all of the people who suffered through the terrible bush fires that happened in the southern part of Australia earlier this month. All of the Australian flags were flying at half mast, and many people gathered at the famous Sydney Opera House for a concert to raise money for people who had lost their homes. There were a lot of people there, so I think that many others will benefit.

Here is the Sydney Opera House.


Not everyone could fit inside the Opera House so some
people watched on a screen outside.

Last Pictures from New Zealand

E-Unit Alert!

On my way to the museum today, I passed a building which housed the "Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind."

"Interesting," I thought.

And then I turned the corner and saw something very interesting!

The foundation had built a "sensory garden," which was full of plants and trees that are meant to be smelled, touched, tasted and listened to (senses that most blind people still possess.)

There were fragrant herbs and flowers, soft lambs-ear plants, waving grasses which made a loud, rushing sound and all kinds of plants with interesting textures. If you went through the garden, which was arranged in a straight line with a handrail, you could close you eyes and not miss a thing!

Something to discuss at an E-Unit meeting, don't you think?

Last Day in New Zealand

I'm back in Auckland after driving through some crazy weather! There is a storm called "Cyclone Innis" blowing across New Zealand right now, dumping buckets of rain everywhere. I thought I was going to get blown off the highway. But I'm safe and sound in the big city now, excited about flying to Australia tomorrow.

I just got back from visiting the Auckland Museum, where I learned a lot about the history of this city and country, and about the animals of this country as well. They have a skeleton of an extinct bird called the "moa," which was a flightless bird that stood three metres tall! But it was hunted by humans and there aren't any left. :(

A moa skeleton

I also learned a great deal about the Maori people, who are the first nation of people to live in this part of the world. They have only been on New Zealand for just over one thousand years. I know that sounds like a long time, but the first nations people of British Columbia have existed for over ten thousand years. Before that, there were only plants and animals on these islands. Interestingly, only two mammals are native to New Zealand, both species of bats.

Maori artwork is very similar to that of our coastal first nations (they made tall carvings that looked like the totem poles we see in Canada.) This one was put at the entrance of their village to scare off enemies.


One part of the museum was about schools in New Zealand which, of course, I found very interesting. I was looking at class photos through the years and I saw this funny one:

(Don't try this at Byng!)

Last of all, look what I found in the gift shop:

An Amazing Boat!

I'm in an area of New Zealand called "Northland," which is the northern part of the North Island. After passing through the city of Whangarei (you'll have to ask Ms. Macdonald how to pronounce the name of the city because it's not like you'd think!), I've traveled to the coastal village of Tutukaka. And I saw the most amazing boat in the marina here.

The "Earthrace" is a power boat that has won the race for being the fastest boat to travel around the Earth. And it only uses biofuels (like canola oil or soya bean oil) to power the boat, so it is completely carbon neutral. The Kiwis (that's what New Zealanders call themselves) are very proud of this boat and it is touring around the country right now.

I got to go on the Earthrace and see what it looked like. There are two large catamarans, and the space used by the crew is very narrow and cramped. It has a crew of eight, but they only have a teeny tiny bit of room.

I found out something else cool about Earthrace. When there are high waves, the Earthrace submarines its way through them rather than going up and down. I would love to see that!

Here I am in the galley (kitchen.)

I have really enjoyed the natural beauty of northern New Zealand. The climate is sub-tropical, so the hills are covered in ferns and palm trees. And the air smells really fresh. I've been discovering the coastline near the place I am staying in a kayak. Here I am on Church Bay, near Tutkaka, with Philip Island in the background.

Auckland, New Zealand

Hello everyone! I have arrived at my first des- tination: Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest city in the country. The city is on an "isthmus," which is a narrow piece of land between two big bodies of water. On one side of Auckland is the Pacific Ocean, and on the other side it is the Tasman Sea. So Auckland has two harbours on two seas. one of the only major cities in the world to have this.

Auckland is a beautiful city, warm (24 degrees), and very green. Today I went up the Sky Tower, which is the tallest tower in the southern hemisphere. It is four metres taller than the Eiffel Tower. The view from the top is amazing!

Sorry Baby!

It looks like my little cat Baby wants to come along on vacation. She snuck into my bag as I was getting ready to pack it. Sorry Baby ... I didn't buy you a ticket! And don't worry; a wonderful cat-sitter will be looking after you.