YOUR Letters, Thoughts and Ideas

Beach clean up a Omana

“My amazing place is Omana Regional Park. It's about half an hour from my home and so amazing!
The awesome beach has a dotterel bird colony and views of Rangitoto Island.
There are awesome trees to climb, walks to Maori pa sites, and a playground with a Taniwha climbing frame. There's even a kiwi guardian post to hunt out, with amazing views when you find it.
It's a rubbish-free park so there are no bins. We cleaned up the beach and took this away to keep it an amazing place.”
- Kate Feldon (8), Manurewa

Up close with forestry machinery

“Last month I went to a forestry show in Rotorua.
There were lots of diggers, logging trucks and tree grabbers!
I loved being able to climb into all the trucks and push the buttons.”
- Thomas Henderson (3) & Mum, Whakatane

Tramping in Taranaki

“I live in Taranaki and we have the most beautiful mountain - Mt Taranaki.
Mt Taranaki has lots of huts you can tramp to, some are easy and some are hard. They have lots of native birds and trees on them and sometimes you get to cross swing bridges, climb big ladders and cross rivers.
I tramped to Makatawa Hut with my mum and friends, it was 3 hours all up and I walked myself the whole way and back.
The hut was so cool, we had a hot choccie at the top and a sandwich and we could see the very top of Mt Taranaki and it still had some snow on it! I can't wait to go to my next hut.”
- Ava Page (5), Taranaki

Exploring Fiji

“I was very lucky to go to Fiji with my family and I got to try snorkelling for the first time.

I saw a big, bright blue starfish which was just incredible. '

I think Fiji is an amazing place because it's so beautiful and warm, and the people are very friendly. They all say ‘Bula!’ every time you walk past.

We were allowed to visit the local school and I couldn't believe how different it was from my school. They didn't have as much as we have, but the kids were so happy anyway. They were really welcoming too.

I loved Fiji, I hope I can go back one day.”

- Boston Davis (10), Manly

Hiking in Aotearoa

“I went for a 3-hour walk around Hunua.
There were lots of beautiful birds and plants.
There were also cool bridges to walk over and we stopped at the Dam (it’s huge!) for a picnic lunch that we took with us.
The Waterfall is amazing! Next time I am going to swim there.“
- Lachlan McHardy (10), Golflands

Caring in the Philippines

“Being born in Auckland, I have never been outside NZ until my grandma had a ruptured brain aneurysm.
Before Christmas 2022, my family and I flew to the Philippines to take care of my Grandma.
Since we took care of my grandma, we rarely had time to go out.
The several times we were able to go out of the house, I was able to see the world's smallest active volcano which is in the Philippines.
We also drove my grandma to Our Lady of Manaoag Church to pray for a miracle and continuous recovery of my Grandma.
Today, my Grandma is now able to walk on her own but she is still learning to speak... we are always seeing Our Lady of Manaoag's miracles.”
- Audrey Quilantang (6), Otahuhu

Amazing Wanaka

“Wanaka is such an amazing place to be, with lots of highs and lows… you can do anything.

While it's winter you can do Snowboarding or Skiing or any other winter sport.

While it's summer you can do Swimming, do Water Sports or play at a playground.

In Wanaka, you can do anything!”

- Mia Reardon (10), Wanaka

First Chinese New Year Celebration

“This is my first time celebrating Chinese New Year.
My parents took us to the temple and I can see the lion dance, this is so much fun.
I love Chinese New Year because I can get red pockets from my cousins and friends.”
- Celeste Zhao (2) & Mum, Mount Albert

Fun at the Fair

“We went to the fair. It was so cool!

There was like a game where you had to throw a dart at a balloon. There was also a game where you had to put some balls in the clown’s mouth, and besides that was a game where you had to throw a beanbag at cans.

Dad was so good at that game.

There was also a bouncy castle!”

- Mackenzie Cornish (9), Gore

Meet Jonathan

“I wanted to show you my friend Jonathan.
My teachers asked me to look after him over the holidays and show them all the fun we got up to.
Together we: made Christmas gingerbread, added woollen hair to Jonathan’s head, met butterflies at Butterfly Creek and went on a tram ride at Motat.
I can’t wait to start school this year in my last year at primary school …and happy to have Jonathan with me!”
- Jessica Holmes (9), Chartwell

Floating around in Taupo

“I went on a little holiday with my family to lake Taupo resort and I got to have chocolate milk while I floated around in the pool. It was fun.”
- Harlee Laing (2) & Mum, Whatawhata

Paris adventure

“I went on holiday to Paris recently. We went to Disneyland which was amazing then went to central Paris.
We went to the top of the Eiffel tower! It is 320 m tall to the top and the observation deck at the top is 280m tall.
There are lifts that take you to the second floor and then another lift to the top. You can see all across Paris.
It was built by Gustave Eiffel between 1887-1889 to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution.
At night it is lit up in purple. It is an amazing place to go.”
- Zak Oakden (8), Greymouth

Sibling support

“Shout-out to my big sister, Addy, for helping me settle into school and making sure I have someone to hang out with on our breaks!”
- Harvey (5), Auckland

Class appreciation

“I would like to do a shout-out to Room 11 at Chisnallwood School in Christchurch.
A great to be in a class with so many cool people!”
- Andrew (12), Christchruch

Fascinating Facts - The day of the dead

“The day of the dead started around ago in the early 1500s. Roughly 3000 years ago, amongst the Aztecs, Toltecs, and Mayans.

Death and the dead were seen as a natural part of life that should be honoured and celebrated, rather than mourned.

It is celebrated on the 1st and 2nd of November.

The celebration is to celebrate those that have passed rather than mourn them.

When it is the day of the dead the family of those who have passed cook food like pan de Muertos (bread) and cookies. This is cooked to remember those they have passed.

The holiday, which is celebrated mostly in Mexico can also be celebrated in places like Guatemala and Central America.“

- Isaac Herman (11), Mt Roskill

Sky Tower adventure

“I went to the Sky Tower. First I went to Level 51. There we looked at the city below us.
I've stood on the glass many times, but it was still a little frightening. We were 186m up high!
Next, we went 1 level below us, The Sky Cafe! Afterwards, we went to Level 60, the highest level in the Sky Tower,
It was 220 metres high. I really enjoy going to the Sky Tower, so you can go too!”
- Alicia Chan (8), Albany

Shared Experience - being “the new kid”

“I just moved to Hawke’s Bay and was the new kid.

I was very nervous to start at a new school.

I thought it would be a good idea to bring a soccer ball to school, and then a bunch of kids started to play with me!

It helped me be brave and make lots of friends.

Sports really helps me and other kids have fun together.

I can't wait to play Futsal for the first time and hope we win.

I mostly enjoy making new friends and playing Soccer!”

- Caleb Gillot (8), Havelock North

New game review

Khan tried out the all-new Dino Crunch game and wrote this review…
“In the dino nest there are four colours - green, red, blue, and yellow. If the dino chomps before you get the egg, you have to put it back. If you get the egg before it chomps you get to keep the egg.
I like the game if I win. I don’t like the game because of chance.”
- Khan Dutton (8), Waitoa

Girls Got Game!

“A massive shout out to all the girls in the *Girls Got Game* basketball team in the Dunedin basketball competition and our awesome coaches.
Keep up the good girls and I hope you are all having a great holiday!”
- Isla Campbell (9), Dunedin

Best teacher of 2022!

“Shout-out to my teacher Mr Parker! He is so nice and he has the funniest teacher jokes ever!!!

He lets us play outside with a ball after doing heaps of work. We are in a special class for autism and other behaviour issues with kids and every Friday we do a cooking class and make pancakes!

Shout-out to Mr parker! :D”

- Bianca Webster (12), Tauranga

Wind power facts…

“What is Wind Power?
Wind power describes the process by which the wind is used to generate electricity. Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in the wind into electrical energy.
Wind turbines use blades to gather the wind’s kinetic energy. Wind flows over the blades creating lift (similar to the effect on aeroplane wings), which causes the blades to turn. The blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator, which produces electricity
Wind power is a source of renewable energy. It does not contaminate the environment and reduces the use of fossil fuels, which are the origin of greenhouse gasses that create global warming.”
- Liam Buys (11), Mt Roskill

Emergency planning

“I went to Bunnings with my mum to a DIY workshop which means do it yourself.
I made an emergency contact board in case I need to call 111 and I can tell them where my house is and my mum’s phone numbers.
I love Bunnings.”
- Pixie Blake (7), Hamilton

End of year gratitude

“I want to give a shout-out to my Class at Parkvale School - Room 1. My teacher is Mrs Dickson and she is nice. We have fun and learn and play. We also have Mrs Gifkins and Katy who comes to help us sometimes.
Also, a shout-out to my rippa rugby team the 5th Grade Hurricanes at Havelock North Rugby Club!”
Avery (5), Havelock North

Lower the voting age!

“In my opinion, I think the voting age in NZ should be lowered to 17 instead of 18.

People who are 17 should have a say in their future!”

- Mia Reardon (10), Albert Town

Shout out to my sister

“Hi Upstart, I want to give a shout-out to my sister.
She helps everyone out when the table needs to be set for dinner - she is the first one to go and do it.
When I need help cleaning my room she helps me out.”
- Kingston Welsh (13), Ngatea

Shout out to Best Start Gisborne!

“I would love to shout out to the amazing Koka at daycare, Best Start Gisborne, and my friends there.

We have the best fun while mum and dad are at work and they feed us yummy kai.”

- Willow White (2) and Mum, Gisborne

Free game review

“Hey Upstart, I just got my first Nintendo Switch.
I spent all my money on the Switch so now I have no money for games, but then I found this super fun game that’s free to play on Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. It’s called *Fallout Shelter*.
In this post-apocalyptic, you own a fallout shelter and every now and again people come to live in your shelter but sometimes you get raiders so you have to arm your dwellers to protect them.”
- Jake Morrison (11), Deanwell

An incredible day in Rotorua

“I went to a big city in New Zealand called Rotorua. It’s a place with lots of trees and fun places too!
We went to the gondola so that we could go to the entrance of the luge. While we were going there, mama was taking photos of the enormous, gigantic, trees with green, red and yellow autumn leaves! Then we reached the entrance and went through.
I saw that there were lots of wonderful views to see along with the luge ride at the top. My mama and my Ninang were the first to ride the luge! Then, me and papa had our turn.
I felt like I was flying like a dove. It was very speedy, like an aeroplane.
While I was eating my ice cream, I thought that it was cold and fluffy as a cloud. I enjoyed my day and it was fun!
- Mac David Biasbas (7), Botany Downs

Reducing our carbon footprint…

“Cars use petrol to run and that creates carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that helps trap heat in my atmosphere, which is very bad because that causes climate change!

Not many people plant plants anymore, and plants are key to life!

First of all, we need plants to breathe, but they also suck up all of the greenhouse gases that we create.

To reduce your footprint you could use your car less, eat less red meat and plant more plants, but these are not the only things you can do…”

- Marley Green (12), Ngatea

First time in Auckland

“Recently I travelled from my home in Nelson to Auckland for the very first time. It was for a cheerleading competition but we also got to go to Kelly Tarltons and Rainbow’s End!!
I loved seeing the penguins and sharks at Kelly Tarltons - they were amazing and much bigger than I thought they would be.
Rainbow’s End was so much fun! At first, I was nervous to try the rides, but after my first ride on the log flume, I wanted to go on everything!
We also came first place at the competition BEST TRIP EVER!
I can't wait to visit Auckland again soon.”
- Titan Coleman (10), Nelson

Water fun at Anzac Bay

“The sun was as hot as boiling water on my back.

I felt the cold water splash against my face as we zoomed in our little boat around Anzac Bay.

I was there with my friends and family.

We stopped at this little island called Matakana Island - it had the prettiest shells.

We looked around the island and found nothing except a opened wasabi pack!

After that we when back to the beach where all our stuff was.

When the boat took us back to the beach I hopped straight onto the kayak with my friend and we when to a tyre swing hooked to a tree that you can swing off into the water.

I took my life jacket off and climbed up the tree. I grabbed hold of they tyre swing then swung off into the water. That was fun!”

- Lily Higgs (12), Point Chevalier

Stop global warming

“Could you imagine a world with it being as hotter than Mali every day or no winter season or even no autumn?

Well, this is what will happen if we don't stop global warming. We need to stop burning fossil fuels and stop making factories and stop all things that connect to global warming because it's also affecting the ozone layer, a protective barrier around our earth/home.

The first reason why we need to stop global warming is because it is changing the temperature.

The earth now has regular tsunamis, droughts, heat waves and ice glaciers melting and when ice glaciers melt animals will lose their habitat.”

- Krishav Kumar (11), Auckland

Taupo adventure

“Last month we went on holiday to Taupo and we went to an amazing place called *Mind Junction*. It was phenomenal!
There are lots of science-based activities and technology.
It had a big table with raised sides and on the sides were red buttons next to pictures of things like Craters of the Moon, Mt Ruapehu, Mt Ngaruahoe, Mt Tongariro, and Whale Island.
When the button was pressed the different landmarks would light up showing the geographical area.
There are activities to test how steady your hands are, a height chart to determine your height (I was the same height as the longest cow horn, haha!) and there was an awesome pulley game.
I hope you get to go there too!”
- Emelia Fowler (9), Tuakau

Why we need to stop polluting the Ocean

“Can you imagine a world with no fresh water and beaches that are practically made of rubbish? A world without marine animals? That will be a reality if we don’t stop polluting now!

I strongly believe that we should stop polluting to save freshwater and marine animals.

There would be no more fish or squid or octopus, no more kina. There would be no more going diving and seeing the wonderful view and enjoying the ocean. It would be devasting, but could soon be a reality.

We need to start making the switch to eco-friendly materials and plastics should be put out of production.

We need to stop polluting the Ocean to protect our future now!”

- Liam Buys (10), Mt Roskill

Help Stop Deforestation

“Do you ever think about all the trees that get cut down, and where they go?
The effects of deforestation are becoming more and more serious.
Help stop deforestation so that more animals can live.
Global warming is getting bigger because of us cutting down trees. All the poor animals that lived in the trees have no houses now. So please help stop deforestation so everyone and everything does not have to suffer.”
- Jennifer Jala (10), Mt Roskill

Sideline supporter

“My hand got broken at school in September. It was really sore and made me feel really sad because I like to do lots of sports like swimming, rugby union, rugby league, basketball, cricket and guitar too. I couldn't do them while I was in a cast.
I had my cast changed to a splint after a while.
They thought I might need an operation but I found out today that I don't and I'm really happy!
I was sad I couldn't play sports but I still wanted to be a part of my teams so I still went to support at games.
If this happens to you, then you could support your team too to make them and you happy. It's good to show support!”
- Beaudy Rooney (8), Timaru

School production

“We had the school Lion King Jr. production.
We had to dress up like wild things.
I really liked doing the dances and it was really fun!”
- Neave Mitchell (10), Christchurch

Lunch on a plane!?

“I visited Taupo and ate my lunch on a plane!
Did you know Taupo McDonalds has a plane and you can go inside and eat your Happy Meal in there? That's what I did, and it was the coolest place I've ever eaten my lunch!”
- Thea Wanden (6), Tirau

Beach combing

“During the holidays I visited Marfells Beach with my whanau.
Even though it was winter and a little bit cold it was so beautiful.
We walked all along the beach and explored the rock pools. I paddled my feet in the water, flew my kite and found some awesome shells! I found a barracuda fish that had washed up, it looked like a shark had bitten it, it had super sharp looking teeth. I found some crabs and a sea slug in a shell. Did you know that the Kaikoura earthquake made the seabed at Marfells Beach rise up lots, which is why there are lots of shells there, from the shellfish that got disturbed. If you are ever near you should definitely go! I had a great time & you can even camp there!”
- Isabelle Skyes (9), Christchurch

First time at the snow

“During the school holidays I went on a trip to Castle Hill!
I saw snow for the first time ever!
We went for a walk and explored the rocks there. I found lots of ice and I even got to eat snow! That was the best part ever.
I loved the snow and rolled down the hill, it was such a great place to visit!”
- Emelia Skyes (7), Christchurch

Visiting a real life castle

“On our recent trip to Dunedin we visited the amazing Lanarch Castle.
My favourite part was climbing the spiral staircase to the castle roof.”
- Taylon Halverson-Coll (7), Whitianga

Indoor hut building adventure

“Me and my friends made a hut out of our desk, fabric, chairs and tote trays.
My hut has a beautiful flower fabric for the roof.
We have a water bottle to make sure the roof is stable.
We used a table to put the roof on and a couple of chairs.”
London Champan (10), Christchurch

Terrifying T-Rex

“Hi Upstart,
Auckland Museum is an amazing place to visit, exhibits everywhere and lots of people were here to see something that just came in.
It’s the almighty Tyrannosaurus Rex, Peter! Many people were here to see it. We went around the museum to see things, but my main focus was the terrifying T-rex!
It’s here till September so don’t wait to see it!”
- Alicia Chan (8), Auckland

Gaming with Mum and Dad

“Hi Upstart,
lately I've been playing *Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2*, which is really fun to play with my Mum and my Dad who remember playing it when they were kids.
I really like it because you can create your own skate park and skater.”
- Jake Morrison (11), Hamilton

Minions the Rise of Gru review

“Minions the Rise of Gru is about a small boy named Gru. His dream is to be the best Supervillain so he steals an amulet. However, he gets captured and his minions have to save him - WILL THEY SAVE HIM?

But there's a twist: find out what it is…

I personally think that Minions the Rise of Gru is a great movie for 4 and over, I have watched all 4 movies on DVD and it has tons of emotions like love, anger, shock and happiness. My favourite character is Bob.”

- Lucas Burton (10), Christchruch

Ziplining up high!

“Hi Upstart,
In the school holidays, I went to Waihiki island with my family.

On the first day me and my Mum went ziplining.

We were both scared at first as it was very high above the trees but it was so much fun. Also, the view from high up is beautiful.”
- Alex Hird (9), Pukekohe

Learning about bees

“We visited the honey hive in Taupo last weekend and I was amazed by the live bee demonstration.
I love honey and chose a special jar to take home.”
- Kendall Jeffray (2) & Mum, Ohope

New Plymouth adventures

“I went to New Plymouth for the school holidays.
We stayed at Fitzroy Beach Holiday Park and it was really cool.
Even though it is winter I went in the sea every day, it is just across the road. I went body boarding.
We went mountain biking at Lake Mangamahoe, went for a walk at Egmont and biked on the New Plymouth Coastal walkway.
We went to the Deluxe Diner for dinner and it was really yummy.
It rained one day and we went Todd Energy Aquatic Centre which was awesome the hydroslides were loads of fun.”
- Lachlan McHardy (10), Auckland

Roller blading pro

“I really like roller skating.
The first time I went roller skating I really struggled.
I didn't give up and kept practicing.
I changed to roller blades and now I can go much faster. I can even play tag on roller blades and it is sow much fun!”
- Pablo Biesold-Jones, Nelson

Movie review of Descendants 3

“Descendants 3 is a very cool movie rated PG. It is about 4 villain kids who used to live on the Isle of the Lost where all the villains got sent.

Their names are Evie, Carlos, Jay and Mal. They moved to the beautiful Auradon where all their opportunities begin. There is also a girl called Audrey who starts off good but surprisingly turns bad and invades Auradon in an attempt to steal Mal’s place as Queen.

Can the villains and the ex-villains work together to save Auradon?

In my opinion Descendants 3 is a very good movie to watch if you're looking for: adventure, teamwork and a dog that talks. I would definitely recommend this for Harry Potter fans.”

- Eilish Pluck (10), Christchurch

Exploring Butterfly Creek

“I went to Butterfly Creek and saw the animals.
First we saw the butterflies.
‘They look so cool!’ I exclaimed.
They were drifting calmly, like autumn leaves falling from a tree.
Next we saw the crocodiles, they were huge. They are named Goldie and Scar! They were as big as a bus.
‘WOW’, I said.
Then we went to see the otters, they were hugging, they were so cute.
Then we saw the dinosaurs, my favourite dinosaur is the Dilophosaurus, it was so cool.
I then went to the buttermilk farm and saw the new baby goat, Kevin, he was so little.
I also went on the tractor.
I had a terrific time! My favourite thing I saw was the farm.”
- Josh Arnold (10), Auckland

Loving farm life

“My dad moved to a farm to work and I got to spend my holidays with the calves on the farm - the farm is my amazing place.
The calves are all so nice and cute. There is also lots of room to play so much grass.
I cannot wait to go back to the farm and see the calves again. They are what make it an amazing place.”
- Deanna Finlayson-Picknell (9), Whangarei

Celebrating Matariki with whānau

“To celebrate the 1st Matariki holiday in New Zealand my Mum and I flew to Nelson to surprise my Nana for her birthday which was on the 24th, Matariki.
We turned up at their house after my uncle’s and aunty picked us up from the airport. Nana was so surprised but so excited to have us there. We were able to spend the weekend and talk about lots of things from the past and present and spend time together as a big extended family.
It was a great way to spend Matariki weekend.”
- Amelia Barrett (8), Tokoroa

Jackbox Party Starter Review

What always felt revolutionary about Jackbox games was just how easy it is to connect players to the game using their personal devices.
Jackbox Party Starter keeps the same feature of not sharing controllers or worrying about lengthy online co-op connection times. This feature is just as exciting now as it was when it was first released with the original party pack, keeping Jackbox games relevant and accessible in a way that few franchises can sustainably keep up with.
- Elvi Efendi (8), Auckland

Pokemon card collection

“These are my Pokemon cards and I got most of them out of packs. Some of them I ordered.
Arceus V is my favourite card because it looks really cool and it's quite powerful.”
- Jesse Hogue (9), Christchurch

Beautiful fantasy

“Hi Upstart,

Weta Workshop is based on horror, fantasy and Sci-fi. They show you how they make the movies and you can take as many photos as you want!

The horror is horrifying, the fantasy is beautiful and the Sci-fi is a little horrifying but not as horrifying as the horror. It is robotic.”

- Alicia Chan (8), Auckland

Visiting a seal colony

“During the holidays I went to Kaikoura. We brought the game I won from Upstart!
We stayed with my grandparents at a house near the beach and the pier hotel.
The day after we arrived, we went to the seal colony on the peninsula. We saw so many seals!
Then we went to a food kiosk for lunch. Before dinner time I went to the beach with my dad and my sister and collected some shells.”
Tommy Modica (9), Christchurch

Gusty adventures

“We went on holiday to Waipu at Easter time.
The weather was stormy and we went on a big walk over the cliffs, it was fun being on the beach with the wind and the big waves!”
- Amelia Sievers (11), Auckland

Leadership day in Palmerston North

“I was feeling lucky as I took my seat in the theatre at Palmerston North.

I am deputy head boy at St Mary’s School Hastings and got to go on a trip.

The theatre was packed with children yelling all over the place. Two people from backstage came out and introduced themselves and told us what we were doing for the day.

The first person to come out was Sam Johnson who talked about helping our world by building teams, the next speaker was Brylee who lost her arm in an accident at age 6. She taught us we are different in so many ways but still the same.

The next speaker was a 16-year-old who started her own business making poi. It was a great day and very inspiring!”

- Issac Te Whaiti (12), Hastings

Watch out for Palm Oil

“At school, I am doing a story about palm oil and how it affects the environment.

Palm oil is not good because people/companies cut down rainforests to plant palm oil trees and animals like the orangutan lose their homes and die.

Palm oil is in a lot of food like biscuits and chips, etc... and people eat it without noticing.

Please check the ingredients before buying any packaged foods.”

By Ella Van Stipriaan (9), Auckland

Feeding the animals

“Today we went to Marshall's Animal park and I fed some animals.
I was so brave and had lots of fun.”
- Brylee Abbot (2) and Dad, Tauranga

“Hi I'm Graysyn, I am 7 on the 11th of June.

I cant wait for my birthday. My mum took me to this really awesome amazing place called Marshall’s Animal Park in Tauranga where we live.

It was so much fun. All the animals were so cool and you won't believe this but I got to feed some reindeer - you know, like Santa's ones!

The baby one was the cutest thing I have ever seen!

All the animals were so friendly, but be careful because the pigs might bite!

I can't wait to go back there again.

If you are ever in Tauranga this is a place to check out.”

- Graysyn Gillespie (7) Tauranga

Late night swimming

“Hi Upstart,
I went camping with my family and friends over Easter.
The camping site had a heated pool. It was amazing.
We could swim till late at night!”
- Alex Hird (9), Pukekohe

Panning for gold

“Recently, I went camping to Danseys Pass and I stayed in an A-frame cabin.
We went down to the rope swing to play on it and then we went to do some gold mining and fishing.
When fishing, something kept sucking the bait on my bottom hook, but I didn’t catch anything.
We dug into the corners of the river and got a dot of gold.
- Olivia Preston (9), Christchurch

Camping with Dad

“I went camping with my sister, our friends and our Dads.
We went to Danseys Pass and played kick the can and had smores!
Me and my sister got fishing rods and tried to catch some fish. We didn’t catch any fish, but we caught some rocks.
We went swimming in the river and played around for a bit while the Dads did some gold mining. I really like it and we are going to go again next year.”
- Harper (9), Christchurch

Boats at the Botanical Gardens!

“I love going to the Auckland botanical gardens!
I can scooter around it with my friends and look for painted rocks.
Sometimes they have art around the gardens and a kid’s map that shows you where it all is!
My favourite was the boats in the pond.
We get to feed the ducks and see some really cool plants.
They even have an ice cream truck! It’s a really cool place to visit!”
- Harriet Jurd (6), Auckland

Being brave at the hair salon

“Hi Upstart
I went to the hair salon and it was the first time I had my hair washed there.
It was so strange and nice. I look forward to going again.”
- Logan Hird (6), Pukekohe

Make it stand out

“Hi Upstart,
I love my plushies!
These are the soft toys I have collected so far... My favourite is my Ty series!”
- Chloe Yu (13), Castor Bay

At school, I made a simple bag and a ribbon cross. It was fun and I would like to do more sewing.

**Jeongeun Kim (9), Christchurch**

Random Acts of Kindness go a long way

“Hi Upstart!

There are three supermarkets ladies who are really, really kind, friendly and caring to me, my sister's and my parents.

They always say hello and ask how we are. They make supermarket trips more enjoyable!

So, last Christmas I decided to do something kind and make them a Christmas card. I also put a candy cane on it.

When I gave them the cards they were so happy and that made me feel happy too! And when we were about to leave the supermarket they gave us some jelly beans and chocolates!

So what I am trying to say here is a little kindness goes a long way.

So don't think that your act will go unnoticed!”

- Charlie Clark (12), Wellington

“Dear Upstarters,

My favourite movie is called Encanto. I think you should watch Encanto because it's a really really good movie for all ages.

It's about a family who all get special gifts, like shape-shifting or being strong, but one girl doesn’t get a gift. So, when the magic starts fading it's up to her to find out what's wrong with it and save her family!”

- Brooklyn Brown (4), Nelson