Noho Marae

Last week my classroom Room 12 and half of Room 20 had a sleepover at the Kapiti College Marae. 
At 1 o’clock we went over to the Marae to be welcomed on to the Marae by some of the Kapiti College kids. When they had welcomed us on to the Marae we went into the dining room to have some afternoon tea. Then we went home. 
At four o’clock we went back onto the Marae to set up our beds. At five o’clock we went in to the dining room to learn what we were going to do next. We were put into groups to do some activities. The first activities was a newspaper dress up game. You had to chose two people in your group to be models. Then you came up with a costume that they should wear. When the outfits were all finished and on the models the models walked down the dining room showing off there costumes. Then we had dinner. For dinner we had make your own hamburgers. They were delicious! After dinner we got back into our groups and we had do do some sort of skit, play, dance or drama. When they were finished we preformed them in front of the other groups. Then the board games were taken out and we played them with each other. After that a guy came to tell us about the stars. The conversation we had with him was very interesting. The we got ready for bed. 
We had no idea that we were going to get a practically sleepless night. 
What felt like hours later every body woke up. Even although we were all tired we had full day ahead of us to learn how to welcome the other half of Room 20 and Room 16 to the Marae. 
When we had all got dressed we were all sent for a run around the Kapiti Collage school field twice!!! After that we had breakfast. For breakfast we had cereal (if we had brought it) and toast. After that we got into our groups again and planned a Maori legend in freeze frame images. 
Then we started work on how to do a Powhiri. The Kapiti College Maori teacher taught us how to do one. Then we stopped for some morning tea then we continued or learning on how to do a Powhiri. Then it was time for lunch. When we came to the marae we bought our lunch. Luckily nobody forgot their lunch! Unfortunately we only had ten minutes to eat and even more unfortunately in the middle of lunch the fire bell rang. Luckily it wasn’t a real fire. When we got back to the dining room it was time to stop eating lunch because the other group were coming. Nobody was very happy about this because they had barely started their lunches. 
When the other group had arrived at the Marae we performed our welcome. Then we went inside. On the table we had payed out a delicious looking after noon tea. As the second group started eating the afternoon tea we performed a Haka to entertain them. 
When they had gone back to school we cleaned up the dining room.
A few minutes later our parents came to pick us up from the Marae. Then we went home. I really enjoyed my sleepover at the Marae. 
There was only one problem. I got practically no sleep!


By Elliot