Hey - just some extra notes :)
Kia ora is an informal salutation in the Maori language but can also be used for "excuse me", "hi", "good morning", "I don't have a question", "stop talking", "That was good", etc. etc. etc.
Ko wai koe? - translates to 'who are you?'
Ko Hannah au! - means: I'm Hannah!
au/ahau - I
koe - you
ia - he/she
No hea koe? - Where are you from?
No Bellevue au - I'm from Bellevue.
The Maori name for New Zealand is - Aotearoa, meaning the Land of The Long White Cloud. The Maori people arrived in New Zealand about 1,000 years ago and are closely linked to the natives of Hawaii.
The lizard in my last post is actually a gecko and a cool fact about New Zealand geckos is that all of them (and some of the skinks) give birth to live young. They still produce eggs but instead of laying them, the geckos keep the eggs inside their bodies to keep them warm and then they hatch and are born.
Just thought that tid bit was pretty cool. Most of New Zealand's plants and animals are endemic, meaning that they are only found in New Zealand - many going back to when Gondwana existed.
Anyway :)
I love the wonderful stuff you are learning about the Maoris and the wildlife. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Hannah, I have been trying to comment on all your blogs, but Today Dana helped me, so hope this goes through. Love your blogs and pictures. We miss you guys so much, Give Ella our love. Gena is coming over today. We have missed her too. Love Mimi and Papa
ReplyDeleteGena- I miss you so much!