Journey North Mystery Class Spring 2005

Introducing Mystery Class #5--Russell, New Zealand
( 35.267 S, 174.117 E)

Greetings from Russell, New Zealand

"Kiaora" from Russell School, Russell, New Zealand!

"Haere mai" – Welcome to our place!We are located on North Island, north of Auckland, on the east coast in the Bay of Islands.

Our School
We are from students Russell School, Russell, New Zealand. Russell School is the oldest school in New Zealand and was opened in 1839. We are an Enviroschool, which means we help and do things for the Environment.

We are students in Year Seven and Eight, Room 1. Year Eight is the last year before we go to high school. Our teacher is called Eveleen Pausma, and our Principal is Keith Dowdle. Our school starts at 5 years old and goes up to our age which is 12. When we leave Russell and go to High School, we have to travel on a bus and a ferry. The trip is about 30 minutes to the school.

At Russell School, we have 2 playgrounds, 2 netball courts, a small field, jungle gym, a pool, a dental clinic, and a tuck shop, which sells healthy and sweet food. We have just recently opened up our new multipurpose room, which includes a library, a kitchen, a dance room, a study room for the Year 8s and a meeting room. Most of our sports are centered around the sea i.e. swimming, sailing and waka paddling. ("Waka" are outrigger canoes.)

We have approximately 120 children in the whole school. Our school is mainly Pakeha and Maori (the indigenous people of New Zealand), but we also have a lot of other cultures including American, Spanish and Dutch.

Our City:
Russell is one of the first settlements in New Zealand, and was the original capital. Europeans first discovered New Zealand, when Abel Tasman, from Holland, found it in 1642. It was then claimed for England by Captain Cook in the 1770s.

The Maori name for Russell, "Kororareka", originated from the words “sweet blue penguin,” Korora being the penguin and Reka meaning sweet. This referred to the Maori people who hunted the penguin as a food.

Christ Church in Russell
	The church still has musket holes in it, from back in the early days of European settlement here, when our town was called "hell hole of the Pacific", because of its reputed crime and debauchery.

Russell has a population of about 900 people, but during the summer season this can become as high as 7 – 8000. We are a tourist town because of our history but also our beautiful scenery. We are in the Bay of Islands which includes over 100 islands. Many people come from all over New Zealand and the world to fish, sail, swim and just relax. We even swim with dolphins!! It is not uncommon to have whales cruising past our town out in the bay. We don’t even have a McDonalds!

Pompallier Factory
	This is Pompallier, an old French factory here in Russell, where Bishop Pompallier established the first factory, tanning leather and printing religious texts.

Many New Zealanders are known as "Kiwis". This is the name of our native bird that is now in danger or extinction. Russell and the surrounding area is a Kiwi Sanctuary, where pests like cats, rats and weasels are eradicated to assist the Kiwi population.

We love our town and feel incredibly lucky to be able to live here.

All the best to you!