Tag Archives: Lewis the Lion

What’s that smell?

From Maketu, Lewis the Lion and his friends set off for another important Maori town, Rotorua. More than a third of Rotorua’s population is Maori, making it the most important Maori cultural centre in New Zealand. However, the funny thing … Continue reading

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Lewis visits a Maori community and learns the haka

Lewis the Lion felt like he was truly starting to discover the ‘real’ New Zealand, none more so than when he visited a Maori whanau (family) marae (meeting house) in Maketu, to the East of the Bay of Plenty. Here … Continue reading

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Lewis the Lion discovers Blackwater Rafting in the Waitomo Caves

From Raglan, the Straybus got an early start in the morning heading for the town of Waitomo. Lewis the Lion learnt that the word Waitomo is actually made up of two Maori words: ‘Wait’ meaning water and ‘omo’ meaning cave … Continue reading

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Setting off on the Stray Bus for Raglan

So, Lewis the Lion was picked up early by the Stray Bus one morning from Auckland. After meeting his driver who was strangely called Gollum (like the character in Lord of the Rings!), and loading his rucksack into the trailer … Continue reading

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Travelling in New Zealand

Lewis the Lion was studying a map of New Zealand and noticed that it was mainly formed of two big islands: the North and the South Island. He actually thought that together it looked a bit like an upside down … Continue reading

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Lewis the Lion climbs Mount Eden on a spring morning

As Lewis the Lion mentioned in his previous blog on New Zealand, Auckland, the most inhabited city in New Zealand, is surrounded by 49 volcanic cones, albeit that some of them are extinct. Well knowing that Lewis the Lion likes … Continue reading

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Maori (New Zealand)

As soon as Lewis the Lion arrived in Auckland airport, he was greeted with the words, ‘Haere Mai‘ and ‘Nau Mai‘ both meaning ‘Welcome.’ But here are some other Maori words that he learnt when he was in New Zealand, … Continue reading

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New Zealand English

Even though New Zealand has two official languages, English and Maori, Lewis the Lion discovered that like in America, sometimes the New Zealanders have different ways of saying things in English. They also have a different accent which sounds a … Continue reading

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Lewis finds an easy trick to convert the New Zealand dollar!

Converting the New Zealand dollar was a nice, easy one for Lewis the Lion as it was simply double the pound. So, for instance, £1 = NZ$2. Or if you prefer, half the New Zealand dollar was a pound, so, for … Continue reading

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New Zealand

Country name: New Zealand Population: 4.4 million (UN, 2011) Capital: Wellington Largest city: Auckland Area: 270,534 sq km (104,454 sq miles Major language: English and Maori (Look out for the New Zealand English and Maori pages on the Lewis Loves … Continue reading

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