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I am a mythical creature made from limestone

The Great Sphinx of Giza, located in Giza, Egypt is one of the most famous monuments recognised throughout the world. It likely dates back to the reign of King Kafre (2575-2465 BC) and depicts his face. Scientists and historians however, are not exactly sure who actually built this incredible statue. Estimated to be as old as 4,500 years, The Great Sphinx is one of the only surviving Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It’s located in the Giza plateau, on the west bank of the River Nile, around a half-hour drive west of Cairo - Egypt’s capital city

The Great Sphinx is among some of the world’s largest sculptures measuring 240 feet (73 metres) long and 66 feet (22 metres high). A sphinx is a mythical creature which has a lion’s body and a human head adorned with an Egyptian royal headdress. Sphinxes were mentioned regularly in ancient Greek, Egyptian and Asian mythology.

The Great Sphinx is built and carved from one single piece of limestone leftover in the quarry that was used to build the Pyramids of Giza. The two front paws were built with separate blocks of limestone. Residue pigment on the Sphinx today suggests that it was painted. In fact, it’s thought that once upon a time The Great Sphinx would have been painted in comic book red, blue and yellow. The face was probably a russet red and the headdress was very likely canary yellow. You can still see the residual red paint on one of the Sphinx’s ears. 

According to some estimates from archaeologists and Egyptologists, it would have taken 100 workers approximately three years to finish carving the monument using stone hammers and copper chisels. Researchers also found toolkits abandoned near the worksite and large stone blocks that hadn’t been processed, indicating that it was actually meant to be larger than it is today. Incredibly, some leftover lunches – cattle, sheep and goat meat – also prove the workers left in a hurry.

Over the years, the Great Sphinx has deteriorated greatly due to erosion. One of the Sphinx’s most distinguishing features, beyond its size and spectacle, is his lack of a nose. At one stage, the Sphinx had a one-metre long nose. A commonly known story was told that Napoleon’s troops shot it off with a canon when they invaded Egypt in 1798. This has now been discredited thanks to a series of 18th-century drawings which suggest he had been without a nose for quite some time. It’s likely that the nose was cleaved off around 300 years before, potentially by a Sufi Muslim during a protest.

I dance for my life

Peacock spider refer to several species of Australian jumping spiders with elaborate mating dances.

They are not poisonous, only mildly venomous, and males are known for their brightly rainbow-colored bodies and ability to dance during their courtship rituals. They can jump about 10 centimeters, or 40 times as far as their bodies are long. They are not known to bite humans. They have a lifespan of approximately one year.

There are 92 known species of Peacock spider, at present, seven of which were only discovered in 2020! The first one was discovered in 1878. This was Maratus karsch. 91 of the species are found in Australia, and one in China.

These unique spiders are found across the entire southern half of the Australian continent. They live across a wide range of habitats, and because of their hunting habits, many species roam over long distances and different regions. They can be found in grasslands, coastal dunes, scrub forests and desert areas, with some species being more specialized than others and living only on certain mountain tops or under the leaf debris of certain plants.

Unlike most other spiders, Peacock spiders do not build webs. Their diets consist almost entirely of insects and other spiders. They have excellent vision, allowing them to easily locate prey, which they run after and jump on. They hunt during the day, unlike many other spider species. They can see all the colors of the rainbow spectrum, including ultraviolet light, which makes them excellent hunters. They are not picky eaters and will eat almost any insects or other spiders they can catch, sometimes even prey that is larger than they are. Occasionally, the females will eat the males.

The first passengers were a duck, a sheep and a rooster

Hot air balloons are one of the most amazing, peaceful and interesting modes of transportation. But balloons aren’t just a incredible tool for recreational flying. They also have a very rich history. After many repeated experiments during more than 20 centuries, the secret of aerial navigation and travel was discovered toward the end of the 18th century in 1782 when Stephen (Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier) and Joseph Montgolfier made their ingenious aerostatic experiment. Smoke from fire hovered over Parisian rooftops for hours before it ascended into clouds – this inspiration that led to an invention that changed our world forever! The younger brother Stephen realized that if a light paper bag were to be made and filled with smoke or ash from their fire, then it would naturally rise up towards the sky. In November of 1782, in Avignon, France, the Montgolfier brothers built a light paper bag in an oblong shape with approximately 40 cubic feet of capacity and used it to test their experiment. 

The paper bag had an opening at the bottom, and when they applied fire beneath it, the internal temperature increased, causing it to rise. Their first balloon experiment rose to a height of 75 feet. Encouraged by their success, the Montgolfier brothers made their next experiment on a much larger scale. Their new envelope was 600 cubic feet in capacity and in a spherical shape. The shape of the envelope was designed after a large short-necked glass bottle used in chemistry called a “Balloon.” When the heat was applied to the opening of the paper balloon, its strings broke and ascended to 600 feet above the ground.

On September 19, 1783 Pilatre De Rozier, a scientist, launched the first hot air balloon called 'Aerostat Reveillon'. The passengers were a sheep, a duck and a rooster. The balloon rose as high as 600 meters, and after traveling for more than 2 miles for 15 minutes, landed safely in a field after the fabric became damaged.

Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier became the first person ever to take flight in a hot air balloon when he agreed to man the Montgolfier brothers’ balloon in 1783. But although his first flight was a resounding success, he would eventually wind up becoming the first fatality of the hot air balloon as well. After the initial success, he and another passenger wanted to push the boundaries of hot air balloons of the time by flying across the English Channel. Unfortunately, something went wrong, and the balloon caught on fire, which  sent both Rozier and his colleague falling to their deaths.

Hot air balloons are lifted by heating the air inside the balloon, usually with fire. Hot air weighs less than the same volume of cold air (it is less dense), which means that hot air will rise up or float when there is cold air around it, just like a bubble of air in a pot of water. The greater the difference between the hot and the cold, the greater the difference in density, and the stronger the balloon will pull up. This means that balloons can carry more weight on a cold day, or if the air inside the balloon is very hot. At higher temperature, the air molecules move faster. This causes the molecules to spread out and therefore hot air is less dense than cooler air. The air is heated in the balloon with a burner, which uses bursts of fire to keep the air hot. The fire is fuelled by propane.

The heated air is kept inside the balloon by its fabric. This is called the "envelope". It is usually made of nylon.

The passengers and the pilot stand in the basket, which is attached to the balloon by ropes. The basket is usually made of wicker. Baskets can come in many sizes. It can have enough places for up to 36 people. It depends the size of the balloon to carry that much weight.

Today, anyone is able to take a scenic flight in a hot air balloon. Many places around New Zealand offer flights over the beautiful landscape, usually taking place first thing in the morning. Hot air balloon flights and festivals are popular in various destinations around the world. Well known locations include Cappadocia (Turkey), Albuquerque (New Mexico, USA), Luxor (Egypt) and the Serengeti (Tanzania).

This snack is over 5000 years old

Popcorn has been one of the most popular snacks in the United States since the mid-1800s. 

A popcorn kernel's strong hull contains the seed's hard, starchy shell endosperm with 14–20% moisture, which turns to steam as the kernel is heated. Pressure from the steam continues to build until the hull ruptures, allowing the kernel to forcefully expand, to 20 to 50 times its original size, and then cool.

Archaeologists discovered that people have known about popcorn for thousands of years. Fossil evidence from Peru suggests that corn was popped as early as 4,700 BC. There was also evidence that popcorn was found in the US, 4000 years ago. 

When popcorn pops in a round shape it is called mushroom popcorn and popcorn which pops in unpredictable shapes is called butterfly popcorn.

The unpopped popcorn kernels at the bottom of a popcorn bag, or pot, are called old maids.

Did you know that in the US in 1949, popcorn was temporarily banned from movie theaters for being too loud of a snack.

Did you know that Popcorn is grown right here in Hawke’s Bay, and also throughout New Zealand. So when do you harvest popcorn? Once the stalks have dried out. Check to see if the popcorn is ready for harvest by stripping the husks from a sample or two. The kernels should be hard and nearly dry. If the corn appears ready, pick the corn, then strip away the dried husks.

Popcorn kernels are 4% water, and the water causes popcorn to pop when heated up. Notice what happens when a pop kernel is heated! Popcorn can reach up to 90cm in distance when popping.

I'll never be a royal

Ella Yelich-O'Connor  or Lorde was born in Auckland, New Zealand. Her father is an engineer and her mother, who is of Croatian descent, is a poet. She has two sisters, Jerry and India, and a brother, Angelo. Lorde has been writing songs and singing from a young age. She says her mother sharing many books with her when she was young, influenced her lyric writing.

Lorde was only 13 when she was signed to (CLICK) Universal Music. She was spotted by a talent scout when he was watching footage from her school talent show!!  Lorde and her Belmont Intermediate School team were named the runner-up in the 2009 Kids' Lit Quiz World Finals, a global literature competition for students aged 10 to 14.

Lorde chose her on-stage name because she was interested in royalty and aristocracy.

 Lorde wrote the lyrics to "Royals" in half an hour at her home in July 2012 and during a school break, she and Little recorded the song at Golden Age Studios in Auckland in one week. ‘Royals’ was her first single and it reached number one on the billboards in the US, Canada, the UK and New Zealand.  

She is the youngest solo artist (and only New Zealander) to have a number one in the USA since 1987. Lorde has written and recorded three studio albums, ‘Pure Heroine’, ‘Melodrama’ and ‘Solar Power’ as well as her debut EP - The Love Club. In 2014 she also curated the soundtrack for the Hunger Games movie, including recording several tracks herself.

In 2021 she released ‘Te Ao Mārama’, a companion piece to ‘Solar Power’. The EP is sung entirely in te reo Māori, with the five songs being translated from ‘Solar Power’. All proceeds from the album are going towards two New Zealand based charities.

Lorde has sound-to-color synesthesia, which allows her to see specific colors when certain music notes are played.

Her success in singing and song writing continued and in 2013, Lorde was nominated for four Grammy awards. In 2014, she won two Grammy awards for ‘Royals’, ‘Song of the Year’ and ‘Best Pop Solo Performance’. In 2017 she was nominated for ‘Album of the Year’ with her album ‘Melodrama’. She has won 18 New Zealand Music Awards, including winning ‘Single of the Year’ four times.

I tower over the city in memory of the revolution.

Located on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France, the Eiffel Tower is one of the most well known structures in the world. The Eiffel Tower was originally built as the entrance arch for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, which was to celebrate the 100th year anniversary of the French Revolution. It is named after Gustave Eiffel, whose company was in charge of the project.

The Eiffel Tower is 320m in height and was the tallest man made structure in the world for 41 years before being surpassed by the Chrysler Building in New York.

The Eiffel Tower is made of iron and weighs around 10,000 tonnes. There were 2,500,000 rivets used in its construction. Around 50 tonnes of paint are added to the Eiffel Tower every 7 years to protect it from rust.

Despite its height, the Eiffel Tower was designed to be wind resistant, swaying only a few inches in the wind. It actually moves further when the iron on the sun facing side heats and expands, moving the top up to 18cm away from the sun.

The tower took 2 years, 2 months and 5 days to build and was an architectural achievement. It was a demonstration of French engineering and a defining moment of the industrial era. It was met immediately with tremendous success. Only intended to last 20 years, it was saved by the scientific experiments that Eiffel encouraged, and in particular by the first radio transmissions, followed by telecommunications. Radio signals were transmitted in 1898; it served as a military radio post in 1903; and it transmitted the first public radio programme in 1925.

As France’s symbol in the world, and the showcase of Paris, today it welcomes almost 7 million visitors a year (around 75% of whom are foreigners), making it the most visited monument that you have to pay for in the world. Millions of people climb the Eiffel Tower every year and it has had over 250 million visitors since its opening. Visitors can climb up stairs to the first two levels or take a lift which also has access to the third and highest level.

You might have seen me in a bakery

A temple dating back to the 1100s, Angkor Wat is located in Cambodia. It is the world’s largest religious structure. Angkor Wat is about 1,554m long and 1,371m wide, measuring 162.6 hectares, or 1,626,000m2. It is surrounded by a wall and a moat, and of its original nine towers, five still stand. The structure took around 28 years to build.

The temple was originally dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Carvings illustrate Hindu legends and glorify the king who ordered the temple built. Sculptures portray him as Vishnu or show him performing kingly functions. Many Hindu images were later replaced by Buddhist art

From the 800s to the 1400s the city of Angkor was the capital of a powerful Cambodian kingdom called the Khmer Empire. Angkor Wat is the most famous of the city’s temples. The Khmer started building the temple during the reign of King Suryavarman II, which lasted from about 1113 to 1150. It was not finished until after his death. In 1177 Angkor was looted by invaders. The next king decided that the Hindu gods had failed. He made Angkor Wat a Buddhist shrine.

The city of Angkor was abandoned in the 1400s. However, Angkor Wat itself was maintained by Buddhist monks as a pilgrimage site. Even so, parts of it were damaged by plant roots or worn away by water. In 1992 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated the entire Angkor area a World Heritage site.

As with most other ancient temples in Cambodia, Angkor Wat has faced extensive damage and deterioration by a combination of plant overgrowth, fungi, ground movements, war damage, and theft. The war damage to Angkor Wat's temples however has been very limited, compared to the rest of Cambodia's temple ruins, and it has also received the most attentive restoration. Since the 1990s, Angkor Wat has become a major tourist destination. In 1993, there were only 7,650 visitors to the site; by 2004, government figures show that 561,000 foreign visitors had arrived in Siem Reap province that year, approximately 50% of all foreign tourists in Cambodia. The number reached over a million in 2007, and over two million by 2012.

I worked at a round table

Today the king or queen of England makes people knights to honor good work. Male knights are called Sir. Female knights are called Dame. Hundreds of years ago knights were very different. They served an important role in society during the period called the Middle Ages (500–1500). A knight then was a fighter of wars. He rode a horse and served a lord, or powerful landowner.

In the Middle Ages, a knight started training at about the age of 7. He was sent to live in the house of a lord. There he was a page. A page did odd jobs and learned such skills as reading, writing, and hunting. At about age 12 he became a squire. A squire served a knight and learned how to use swords and spears. He also learned how to get around in body armor. At about age 21 the squire promised to serve a lord. Then the squire became a knight.

Tournaments were pretend battles between groups of knights. When a town or area would have a tournament they would invite knights from other areas. Typically the local knights fought against the knights from outside the area. The battle took place on a large field. On the day of the tournament a large crowd would gather to watch. There would even be stands built where the local nobles could sit to watch. Both sides would parade past the spectators shouting war cries and showing off their armor and coat of arms. The tournament would begin with each side lining up and preparing for the charge. At the sound of a bugle each side would lower their lances and charge. The knights that were still on their horses after the first charge would turn and charge again. This "turning" is where the name "tournament" or "tourney" comes from. This would continue until one side won. As you can imagine, tournaments were dangerous. The lances used were blunted so that knights would not be killed, but many were still injured. The best knight from each side was often awarded a prize. 

Jousting was another very popular competition among knights during the Middle Ages. A joust was where two knights would charge each other and try to knock the other off their horse with a lance. Jousting was the highlight of many games and events. The winners were heroes and often won prize money.

Some of the most famous knights are those of the Knights Templar. The Knights Templar was a large organization of devout Christians during the medieval era who carried out an important mission: to protect European travelers visiting sites in the Holy Land while also carrying out military operations.  After Christian armies captured Jerusalem from Muslim control in 1099 during the Crusades, groups of pilgrims from across Western Europe started visiting the Holy Land. Many of them, however, were robbed and killed as they crossed through Muslim-controlled territories during their journey. In 1139, Pope Innocent II issued a Papal Bull that allowed the Knights Templar special rights. Among them, the Templars were exempt from paying taxes, permitted to build their own oratories and were held to no one’s authority except the Pope’s.

I can leap over 20x my body length

Grasshoppers are leaping insects that are found all over the world. They live mostly in forests or grasslands, but they are also common in gardens. Their brown or green coloring helps them blend in with the plants and dirt around them. Grasshoppers are closely related to crickets.

Compared to many other insects, grasshoppers are large. Some are more than 11cm long. 

Grasshoppers have long hind legs that are good for jumping. They have antennas, or feelers, on their heads that they use to touch and smell. They also have special eyes that allow them to see in all directions at once.

Grasshoppers usually hop or crawl, but most kinds can fly. Most grasshoppers eat only plants. Some kinds, such as locusts, move in swarms and destroy farmers’ crops. Usually only male grasshoppers chirp or sing. They make their song by rubbing their wings together or by rubbing their hind legs against their front wings. The song is the male’s way of calling females.

Birds, frogs, snakes, and other animals eat grasshoppers. In some parts of the world people eat them, too. They are served dried, jellied, roasted, or ground into a meal.

Grasshoppers are also reliant on the surroundings to change their colors. This is necessary especially to get rid of potential predators like frogs. Most of these species are well reformed to the green fields and forests. Grasshoppers are also known to leap 20 times their length. The weight of these species measure around 2 – 3 grams. 

I fooled a city of people

The Trojan horse was a huge hollow wooden horse constructed by the Greeks to gain entrance into Troy during the Trojan War. The horse was dreamt up by Odysseus, and built by Epeius, a master carpenter. The Greeks, pretending to desert the war, sailed to the nearby island of Tenedos, leaving behind Sinon, who persuaded the Trojans that the horse was an offering to Athena (goddess of war) that would make Troy impregnable. 

Epeius needed no more than three days and just a few helpers to build a huge hollow horse of fir planks, felled on Mount Ida. Following the advice of Odysseus, Epeius also installed a trap-door on one side of the wooden horse, and engraved large letters on the other: “For their return home, the Greeks dedicate this thank-offering to Athena.”

Once the Wooden Horse had been built, Odysseus proceeded to persuade the bravest and the most skillful of the Greek warriors present at Troy to climb, fully armed, into its belly. Some say that there were 23 of them, while others speculate with numbers between 30 and 50. Either way, we know for sure that, in addition to Odysseus, Menelaus, Diomedes, Neoptolemus, Acamas, Sthenelus, and Thoas were also there. Even though hesitant and scared stiff, Epeius joined the party as well: he was, after all, the only one who knew how to operate the trap-door.

Despite the warnings of Laocoön and Cassandra, the horse was taken inside the city gates. That night Greek warriors emerged from it and opened the gates to let in the returned Greek army. The story is told at length in Book II of the Aeneid and is touched upon in the Odyssey.

You can see right through me

Before gas or electric lighting were invented, the greatest light source indoors usually came from the fixed fire in the grate. Home activities revolved around the hearth, with candlelight or oil lamps providing dim (but mobile) light around the home. Move an arm's length from the candle, however, and you couldn't read, draw or mend. While the rich used candles (probably made from beeswax or spermaceti wax extracted from the head of the sperm whale), others were not so fortunate. The less wealthy commonly lit their houses with stinking, smoky, dripping tallow candles which gave out very little light. The poor mostly used even feebler and fast-burning rushlights, usually dipped in smelly animal fat. The average 40cm rushlight only burned for about an hour. 

The invention of the eventual solution to electric domestic lighting took decades. The main challenges lay in making a durable filament that produced a bright and steady light, and creating the best possible vacuum inside the glass bulb to prolong the filament's life.

The electric light, one of the everyday conveniences that most affects our lives, was not “invented” in the traditional sense in 1879 by Thomas Alva Edison, although he could be said to have created the first commercially practical incandescent light. He was neither the first nor the only person trying to invent an incandescent light bulb. In fact, some historians claim there were over 20 inventors of incandescent lamps prior to Edison’s version.

In 1802, Humphry Davy invented the first electric light. He experimented with electricity and invented an electric battery. When he connected wires to his battery and a piece of carbon, the carbon glowed, producing light. His invention was known as the Electric Arc lamp. And while it produced light, it didn’t produce it for long and was much too bright for practical use.

Over the next seven decades, other inventors also created “light bulbs” but no designs emerged for commerical application. More notably, in 1840, British scientist Warren de la Rue enclosed a coiled platinum filament in a vacuum tube and passed an electric current through it. The design was based on the concept that the high melting point of platinum would allow it to operate at high temperatures and that the evacuated chamber would contain fewer gas molecules to react with the platinum, improving its longevity. Although an efficient design, the cost of the platinum made it impractical for commercial production.

In 1878, Thomas Edison began serious research into developing a practical incandescent lamp and on October 14, 1878, Edison filed his first patent application for "Improvement In Electric Lights". However, he continued to test several types of material for metal filaments to improve upon his original design and by Nov 4, 1879, he filed another U.S. patent for an electric lamp using "a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected ... to platina contact wires."

Although the patent described several ways of creating the carbon filament including using "cotton and linen thread, wood splints, papers coiled in various ways," it was not until several months after the patent was granted that Edison and his team discovered that a carbonized bamboo filament could last over 1200 hours.

This discovery marked the beginning of commerically manufactured light bulbs and in 1880, Thomas Edison’s company, Edison Electric Light Company begain marketing its new product.

Fall in at your peril!

It used to be a standard trope in action movies, although you don’t see it much these days: a patch of apparently solid ground in the jungle that, when stepped on, turns out to have the consistency of cold oatmeal. The unlucky victim starts sinking down into the muck; struggling only makes it worse. Unless there’s a vine to grab a hold of, he or she disappears without a trace (except maybe a hat floating sadly on the surface). It was a bad way to go. Quicksand was probably the number-one hazard faced by silver-screen adventurers, followed by decaying rope bridges and giant clams that could hold a diver underwater.

Quicksand, also known as sinking sand, is a mixture of fine granular material (such as sand, silt or clay) and water. It forms in saturated loose sand when the sand is suddenly agitated. When water in the sand cannot escape, it creates a liquefied soil that loses strength and cannot support weight. Quicksand can form in standing water or in upward flowing water (as from an artesian spring). In the case of upward flowing water, forces oppose the force of gravity and suspend the soil particles.

Quicksand is a shear thinning non-Newtonian fluid, similar to gloop. It performs differently when pressure is applied to it. When undisturbed it often seems to be solid ("gel" form), but a small (less than 1%) change in the stress on the quicksand causes it to turn liquid ("sol" form).

It is impossible for a human to sink entirely into quicksand. Continued or panicked movement, however, may cause a person to sink further in the quicksand. Since this increasingly impairs movement, it can lead to a situation where other factors such as weather exposure (i.e. sun stroke), dehydration, hypothermia, drowning in a rising tide or predatory animals may harm a trapped person.

Quicksand may be escaped by slow movement of the legs in order to increase viscosity of the fluid, and rotation of the body so as to float lying on your back.

I’m a trap named for the goddess of love

The Venus flytrap is a perennial carnivorous plant of the sundew family, and is notable for its unusual habit of catching and digesting insects and other small animals. The only member of its genus, the plant is native to a small region of North and South Carolina, where it is common in damp mossy areas. As photosynthetic plants, Venus flytraps do not rely on carnivory for energy but rather use the nitrogen-rich animal proteins to enable their survival in marginal soil conditions.

The naming of the plant was by a man of the name John Ellis in 1769. He wrote to famous botanist Carl Linnaeus describing the plant. In that letter, Ellis named it Dionaea muscipula after the Greek goddess Diana (who the Romans called Venus) and muscipula — Latin for ‘mousetrap’.

The inner walls of the leaves are covered in nectar which attracts flies, insects and spiders to land there. There are three trichomes (hair-like spikes) that rest in the middle of the plant’s mouth. These are, in effect, the Venus flytrap’s triggering mechanism.

If two spikes are touched within twenty seconds of each other or one spike is touched multiple times in quick succession, then the two halves of the plant close together and ensnare any prey in under a second. The trichomes are incredibly sophisticated as they can distinguish between living or inanimate objects very easily – whether it’s a drop of rain or the shell of a nut.

The edges of the plant’s leaves are covered in stiff hairs, called cilia, which interlock once the trap has been sprung, sealing the fate of the prey for good. What’s even worse for any poor insect that is trapped is that its struggles only make the leaves join tighter together.

Once the trap is tightly shut it turns into a stomach. The secretion of enzymes such as oxidative protein modification then breaks down and digests the prey. This can take up to ten days, depending on the size of the meal, after which time the trap reopens and spits out the exoskeleton of the insect – basically the insect’s outer body.

I’ll block you out

A total lunar eclipse is sometimes called a Blood Moon, because of the reddish tinge the Full Moon takes on when fully eclipsed. The term is also frequently used to describe four total lunar eclipses that occur in a row. \

So, why does the Moon turn red?

A total lunar eclipse happens when the Moon travels through the Earth's umbra and blocks all direct sunlight from illuminating the Moon's surface. However, some sunlight still reaches the lunar surface indirectly, via the Earth's atmosphere, bathing the Moon in a reddish, yellow, or orange glow.

As the Sun's rays pass through the atmosphere, some colors in the light spectrum are filtered out. Red wavelengths are least affected by this effect, so the light reaching the Moon's surface has a reddish hue, causing the fully eclipsed Moon to take on a red coloUr.

The moon orbits around Earth, while Earth orbits around the sun. The moon takes about 27 days to orbit Earth and goes through regular phases in a 29.5-day cycle.

Lunar eclipses can only happen during a full moon, when the sun fully illuminates the surface. Usually a full moon has no eclipse because the moon orbits in a slightly different plane than the Earth and the sun do. However, at times the planes coincide. Earth passes in between the moon and the sun and cuts off the sunlight, causing an eclipse.

Some ancient cultures didn't understand why the moon turned red, causing fear. At least one explorer — Christopher Columbus — used this to his advantage in 1504. 

Columbus and his crew were stranded on an island now known as Jamaica. At first the Arawak people who lived there were welcoming, but over time, Columbus' crew grew restless and murdered or robbed some of the natives. Understandably, the native people weren't eager to help the crew search for food, and Columbus realized famine was drawing near. 

Columbus had an almanac with him foretelling when the next lunar eclipse would take place. Armed with this information, he told the Arawak that the Christian god was unhappy that Columbus and his crew received no food. God would turn the moon red as a symbol of his anger, Columbus said. As the event took place, frightened people "with great howling and lamentation came running from every direction to the ships laden with provisions, praying to the Admiral to intercede with his god on their behalf," according to an account by Columbus' son Ferdinand.

Blood Moons happen about twice a year. While this may be exciting to most, you may not be able to see the Blood Moon. Depending on the angle and position of your location, the Moon may not appear as red, or you may not be able to see it. The second lunar eclipse of 2023 will be a partial lunar eclipse on October 28.

I smell like sulfur

The name Rotorua comes from Māori, the full name being Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe; roto means lake and rua two – Rotorua thus meaning 'Second lake'. Kahumatamomoe was the uncle of the Māori chief Ihenga, the ancestral explorer of the Te Arawa. It was the second major lake the chief discovered, and he dedicated it to his uncle.

The area was initially settled by Māori of the Te Arawa Iwi in the 14th century. During the early 1820s Ngāpuhi led by chief Hongi Hika launched a series of raids into the Bay of Plenty as a part of the Musket Wars, in 1823 a Ngapuhi raiding party led by Hongi Hika attacked Te Arawa at their Pā (Fortified settlement) on Mokoia Island defeating them. 

The first European in the area was probably Phillip Tapsell who was trading from the Bay of Plenty coast at Maketu from 1828. He later married into Te Arawa and became highly regarded by them. He owned White Island and Whale Island for some time.

Thermal activity is at the heart of much of Rotorua's tourist appeal. Geysers and bubbling mud pools, hot thermal springs and the Buried Village (Te Wairoa) — so named after it was buried by the 1886 Mount Tarawera eruption— are within easy reach of Rotorua.

Rotorua has the nickname Sulphur City, because of the hydrogen sulphide emissions, which gives Rotorua a "rotten eggs" smell, as well as rotten-rua combining its legitimate name and the rotten smell prevalent. The especially pungent smell in the central-east 'Te Ngae' area is due to the dense sulphur deposits located next to the southern boundary of the Government Gardens, in the area known as 'Sulphur Point'.

Rotorua is also home to botanical gardens and historic architecture. Known as a spa town and major tourist resort since the 1800s, many of its buildings hint at this history. Government Gardens, close to the lake-shore at the eastern edge of the town, are a particular point of pride. The Rotorua Museum of Art and History is housed in the large Tudor-style bath house building while the Art Deco style Blue Baths, noted for their embrace of mixed sex bathing in the 1930s, remain open today.

Theatre of DOOM

The famous Roman amphitheater, the Colosseum, was built between C.E. 70 and 72 and was enjoyed by Roman citizens during the height of the Roman Empire.

Construction of the Colosseum began sometime between 70CE and 72CE under the emperor Vespasian. It opened nearly a decade later and was modified several times in the following years. The massive structure measured approximately 189 by 156 meters, towered four stories high, and included eighty entrances to the amphitheater—seventy-six for the patrons, two for participants of events, and two exclusively for the emperor to use.

The amphitheatre seated some 50,000 spectators, who were shielded from the sun by a massive retractable velarium (awning). Supporting masts extended from corbels built into the Colosseum’s top, or attic, story, and hundreds of Roman sailors were required to manipulate the rigging that extended and retracted the velarium. 

The Colosseum was the scene of thousands of hand-to-hand combats between gladiators, of contests between men and animals, and of many larger combats, including mock naval engagements.

The Colosseum saw four centuries of active use, until the struggles of the Western Roman Empire and the gradual change in public tastes put an end to gladiatorial combats and other large public entertainments by the 6th century A.D. Even by that time, the arena had suffered damaged due to natural phenomena such as lightning and earthquakes. 

In the centuries to come, the Colosseum was abandoned completely, and used as a quarry for numerous building projects, including the cathedrals of St. Peter and St. John Lateran, the Palazzo Venezia and defense fortifications along the Tiber River. 

There are no bridges here

The Amazon River is the world's second-longest river and one of the planet's most significant waterways. It contains more fresh water by volume than any other river, is home to the world's largest species of river dolphin, and hosts 100 species of electric fish and up to 60 species of piranhas. 

Yet, despite its many and varied qualities, there is something that cannot be found on the Amazon River: bridges.

Given the Amazon flows through three countries (Peru, Colombia and Brazil) and more than 30 million people live in the river's basin, it seems somewhat improbable that no bridges span the river.

It’s mindbogglingly huge! Six and a half million square kms, to be precise. The world’s largest rainforest can be found across nine Latin American countries. In fact, if it were a country itself, it would be the ninth largest in the world! For some more perspective, The New Zealand could fit into it 20 times over.

A lot of our food and medicine comes from there. Over 80% of the world’s food varieties originate from the Amazon rainforest, including coffee, chocolate, tomatoes, rice, potatoes, bananas, black pepper, pineapples and corn. 

The Amazon is home to a whole host of fascinating – and deadly! – creatures, including electric eels, flesh eating piranhas, poison dart frogs, jaguars and some seriously venomous snakes. Diversity is off the charts - Although these numbers are contentious, best scientific estimates suggest there are at least 40,000 plant species, 3,000 types of fish, 1,300 bird species, 430 mammals, and a staggering 2.5 million different kinds of insects.

It’s disappearing at an alarming rate. Probably even faster than you think. A depressing 1.5 acres of the Amazon vanishes every single second and with it an average of 137 species become extinct each day. If things continue the way they are, there won’t be anything left in 40 years. Most of the destruction is to make room for pastures to raise cattle, so it’s probably about time we considered cutting down on red meat.\

More than 30 million people call the Amazon home, including 350 Indigenous and ethnic groups, live in the Amazon and depend on nature for agriculture, clothing, and traditional medicines. Most live in large urban centers, but all residents rely on the Amazon's natural bounty for food, shelter, and livelihoods.

It’s really dark at the bottom. Throughout large parts of the Amazon, the forest floor is almost completely black as only 1% of sunlight can make it through the thick canopy. In fact, when it rains it takes around 10 minutes for water to seep down to the shrubbery below.

45 billion are produced each year in China

Chopsticks were developed about 5,000 years ago in China. The earliest versions were probably twigs used to retrieve food from cooking pots. They were discovered in the Henan province of China, which is also where early versions of writing utensils were found.

When resources became scarce, around 400 BC, crafty chefs figured out how to conserve fuel by cutting food into small pieces so it would cook more quickly. This new method of cooking made it unnecessary to have knives at the dinner table—a practice that also jibed with the non-violent teachings of Confucius,

By 500 AD, chopsticks had spread to Japan, Vietnam and Korea. Early Japanese chopsticks were used strictly for religious ceremonies, and were made from one piece of bamboo joined at the top, like tweezers.

During the Chinese dynastic times, silver chopsticks were sometimes used because it was believed they would turn black if they came in contact with poisoned food. This practice must have led to some unfortunate misunderstandings—it's now known that silver has no reaction to arsenic or cyanide, but can change color if it comes into contact with garlic, onions, or rotten eggs, all of which release hydrogen sulfide.

There are dozens of ways to offend, from standing chopsticks up in a bowl of rice (which is said to resemble the incense sticks at funerals) to "allowing tears of soup to drip from your chopsticks."

Using chopsticks is thought to help improve your memory

If you hold your chopsticks correctly, you’re engaging over fifty muscles in the body - that’s quite a workout!

Around 80% of all chopsticks are produced in Obama, Japan; this is an astonishing figure considering how many people use chopsticks on a daily basis worldwide.

Up to 1 million are hand made in NZ every year

Did you know that Poppies grew on battlefields because of all the rubble?! The lime in the fragmented masonry was a great fertiliser for poppies. After a few years, when all the lime had been absorbed by the plants, the poppies largely disappeared.

Poppies are native to the Mediterranean area, but can be found all over the world.

Most species, or types, of poppy grow best in sunny areas with moist soil. Some, however, can grow in rocky deserts. Most types of poppies have only one flower on each stem. The flowers close at night and open in the morning. When the soil is dry, the seed pod opens and many small seeds fall to the ground.

The remembrance poppy was designed to be made using only one hand. Why? This was so soldiers who had lost an arm in battle could still help make the poppies. The poppies are all manufactured by volunteers in Christchurch and it is an almost year long job to make the close to one million poppies required to support the Poppy Appeal.

2020 was the only year that a street appeal hasn’t been held after the Covid lockdown forced the collection to be cancelled. An online appeal was conducted in its place meaning the Poppy Appeal remains the longest continuously running appeal in New Zealand’s history.

Poppies come in a variety of colours and each symbolises something different. The red poppy is the most famous symbol used to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives in World War One and conflicts that followed. They say that the red poppy represents remembrance and hope. The purple poppy is often worn to remember animals that have been victims of war. In particular, many horses were killed or injured in World War One. The black poppy is most commonly associated with the commemoration of black, African and Caribbean communities' contribution to the war effort - as servicemen and servicewomen, and as civilians. The white poppy commemorates people who died in conflict, but focuses on achieving peace and challenging the way we look at war.

Opium Poppy

One type of poppy, the opium poppy, produces seeds that have a nutty taste when dried. The seeds are used for baking breads and desserts. In addition, medicine to relieve pain can be made from the same poppy. Opium poppies are native to Turkey.  Poppy seeds are banned in China, Taiwan and Singapore! You cannot buy them, or use them in any type of cooking. 

There were poppies in Tutankhamun’s tomb - King Tutankhamun was entombed in 1325 BC with ceremonial clothing made partly from the poppy plant and with illustrations of poppies on his jewellery and furniture.

Poppies are said to symbolize eternal sleep. This symbolism was evoked in the children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which a magical poppy field threatened to make Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion and Toto, sleep forever. 

2 million = 1 kg

Did you know that there are nearly 2 million poppy seeds in 1kg!!

A maritime tragedy

On April 10, 1912, the R.M.S. Titanic left its port in Southampton, England, and began the transatlantic journey to New York City in the United States. Considered unsinkable, Titanic served as a luxury ocean liner for over 2,000 passengers and crew. On April 15, Titanic sank in just over two and a half hours after colliding with an iceberg.

The Titanic had 16 compartments that included doors which could be closed from the bridge, so that water could be contained in the event the hull was breached. Although they were presumed to be watertight, the bulkheads were not capped at the top. The ship’s builders claimed that four of the compartments could be flooded without endangering the liner’s buoyancy. The system led many to claim that the Titanic was unsinkable.

The Titanic was approximately 269 metres long and about 28.2 metres wide at its widest point.

Tickets were sold to the journey across three classes - First, second and third. Each passenger class was housed in different areas of the ship and each experienced different levels of luxury and comfort. Although 3rd class accommodations were not as elegant as 1st or 2nd class, they were still nice, especially compared to other ships. The majority of passengers aboard Titanic were emigrants traveling 3rd class.

Throughout much of the voyage, the wireless radio operators on the Titanic had been receiving iceberg warnings, most of which were passed along to the bridge. On the evening of April 14 the Titanic began to approach an area known to have icebergs. At approximately 9:40 PM the Mesaba sent a warning of an ice field. The message was never relayed to the Titanic’s bridge. 

Two lookouts were stationed in the crow’s nest of the Titanic. At 11:40 PM, about 740 km south of Newfoundland, Canada, an iceberg was sighted, and the bridge was notified. The First Officer ordered both the ship “hard-a-starboard” (turn left) and the engines reversed. The Titanic began to turn, but it was too close to avoid a collision. The ship’s starboard side scraped along the iceberg. At least five of its supposedly watertight compartments toward the bow were ruptured.

Smith ordered Phillips to begin sending distress signals, one of which reached the Carpathia at approximately 12:20 AM on April 15. The Carpathia was 107 km away when it received the signal, and it would take more than three hours to reach the Titanic. Other ships also responded but they were all too far away. 

Its 20 lifeboats could carry only 1,178 people. This problem was made worse by lifeboats being launched well below capacity. Lifeboat number 7, which was the first to leave the Titanic, held only about 27 people, though it had space for 65. In the end, only 705 people would be rescued in lifeboats.

As the Titanic’s bow continued to sink, the stern began to rise out of the water, placing incredible strain on the midsection. At about 2:00 AM the stern’s propellers were clearly visible above the water, and the only lifeboats that remained on the ship were three collapsible boats. At approximately 2:18 AM the lights on the Titanic went out. It then broke in two, with the bow going underwater. The stern momentarily settled back in the water before rising again, eventually becoming vertical and plunged to the bottom of the Atlantic. More than 1500 people drowned with the sinking of the Titanic.

Can you Free Willy?

Orcas, or killer whales, are the largest of the dolphins and one of the world's most powerful predators. They're immediately recognizable by their distinctive black-and-white coloring. Smart and social, orcas make a wide variety of communicative sounds, and each pod has distinctive noises that its members will recognize even at a distance. They use echolocation to communicate and hunt, making sounds that travel underwater until they encounter objects, then bounce back, revealing their location, size, and shape.

Though they often frequent cold, coastal waters, orcas can be found from the polar regions to the Equator. They're at the top of the food chain and have very diverse diets, feasting on fish, penguins, and marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, and even whales, employing teeth that can be four inches long. They are known to grab seals right off the ice. They also eat fish, squid, and seabirds.

Orcas hunt in deadly pods, family groups of up to 40 individuals. There appear to be both resident and transient pod populations of orcas. These different groups may prey on different animals and use different techniques to catch them. Resident pods tend to prefer fish, while transient pods target marine mammals. All pods use effective, cooperative hunting techniques that some liken to the behavior of wolf packs.

Orcas are protective of their young, and other adolescent females often assist the mother in caring for them. Mothers give birth every three to ten years, after a 17-month pregnancy. They give birth to one baby at a time, which may nurse for up to two years. In most cases, the bond between juvenile and mother will eventually weaken, and the young orca will go its own way, but in some pods, the juvenile may stay with the pod it was born into its entire life.

Orcas are highly intelligent, social mammals that have long been a part of marine park entertainment, performing shows for audiences. However, it's become increasingly clear that orcas do not thrive in captivity. They have evolved to swim up to 65km a day, foraging for food and exercising. They dive 30 to 150m, several times a day, every day. Whether they're born in the wild or in captivity, all orcas born have the same innate drive to swim far and dive deep. 

I’m a light display

The northern and southern lights, also known as the aurora borealis and aurora australis, are beautiful dancing waves of light that have captivated people for millennia. 

Though it was Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei who coined the name "aurora borealis" in 1619 — after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek god of the north wind, Boreas — the earliest suspected record of the northern lights is in a 30,000-year-old cave painting in France.

Since that time, civilizations around the world have marveled at the celestial phenomenon, ascribing all sorts of origin myths to the dancing lights. One North American Inuit legend suggests that the northern lights are spirits playing ball with a walrus head, while the Vikings thought the phenomenon was light reflecting off the armor of the Valkyrie, the supernatural maidens who brought warriors into the afterlife.

But for all its beauty, this spectacular light show is a rather violent event. Solar flares are like enormous explosions on the surface of the Sun in which streams of charged particles are emitted into space. It typically takes two days after the flare is seen on the Sun for the particles to reach Earth. Upon their arrival, these particles can result in aurora activity. Energized particles from the sun slam into Earth's upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 72 million kph, but our planet's magnetic field protects us from the onslaught. The magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles. 

Different gases give off different colours when they are heated. The same process is also taking place in the aurora. The two primary gases in the Earth’s atmosphere are nitrogen and oxygen, and these elements give off different colours during an aurora display. The green we see in the aurora is characteristic of oxygen, while hints of purple, blue or pink are caused by nitrogen.

Round and around in circles

The earliest evidence of the wheel is found from 4200–4000 BC when they were used for pottery. Because the wheel was invented before records were kept, nobody can ever know who invented the wheel. The earliest wheeled vehicles were somewhere between 3500–3350 BC. The invention was quickly adopted across parts of Europe and Asia. Before this sleds were used to move large and heavy objects across the land. The domestication of horses and road infrastructure played a pivotal role in the adoption of the wheel as a form of transport.

Early in history it was discovered that a heavy load could be moved rather easily if a roller was placed under it. It was also found that placing runners under a load made it easier to drag. Thus the sledge was invented.

Combining the roller and the sledge for heavy loads is believed to have been the next step. As the sledge moved forward over the first roller, a second roller was placed under the front end to carry the load when it moved off the first roller. After continuous use, the sledge runners wear grooves in the roller. It was then learned that these deep grooves enabled the sledge to move forward a longer distance before the roller required shifting. This was further adapted to an axle and wheels. 

The spoked wheel was invented around 2000 BC in Anatolia (Turkey). Spokes made the wheels lighter giving the Sintashta an upper hand in warfare. Spoked wheels have been found in graves that date back as late as 2100-1800 BC.

The tire’s invention is accredited to the Scots. Celtic chariots (800--450 BC) are the first known examples to use an iron rim around the wheel.

The first patent for a pneumatic tire was issued in 1847 by the Scottish inventor Robert William Thomson. The first mass-produced tire was made in 1888 on May Street, Belfast, by another Scot: John Boyd Dunlop. He designed it to reduce the headaches his son suffered when riding his tricycle.

Lighting up the skies in 1666

The Great Fire of London started at around 1am on Sunday 2 September 1666. The fire raged for four days straight, until its final fizzles were extinguished on Thursday 6 September 1666. The fire started in the home of a baker named Thomas Farynor (Farriner), located on London’s Pudding Lane. Thomas wasn’t your average baker, though – he was King Charles II’s baker. It’s thought the fire started when a spark fell out of the oven after the family had gone to bed. However, Thomas denied this theory until the day he died, claiming his oven was put out properly.

One thing’s for sure though – however the the fire started, it brought complete devastation to the city of London.

In 17th century London, not only were buildings made from wood and straw, but they stood very close together, making it easy for fire to spread. Plus, warehouses around Pudding Lane contained flammable materials such as oil and rope which soon caught alight, fuelling the flames!

Rather than fight the fire, people’s first reaction was to get away from the raging flames as quickly as possible. In a state of panic, they collected all the belongings they could carry and fled. Some sprinted to the hills, while others fled to the River Thames, where they boarded boats. 

Back then, there was no fire brigade in London, which meant it was up to local soldiers as well as regular Londoners to fight the fire. They did the best they could with the limited equipment they had – leather buckets filled with water and water squirts.

They also used metal hooks to pull down buildings and create open spaces so the fire couldn’t spread. But strong winds meant the fire crossed these “fire breaks”, and continued its course of chaos.

It wasn’t until the third night of the blaze, Tuesday 4 September, that the fire was brought under control. Instead of tearing buildings down, the Navy was called upon to blow them up with gunpowder, creating larger fire breaks.

So what was left of London after the Great Fire? Not a whole lot, is the quick answer! A third of the city had been destroyed – an area the size of around 280 football pitches! About 13,200 houses and 87 churches were burned to the ground, as well as famous buildings such as St Paul’s Cathedral and The Royal Exchange. Surprisingly, only six official deaths were recorded, but the actual figure is likely to be much higher. 

In the aftermath of the disaster, London was a place of desperation. With 70,000 people left homeless, theft and other crimes swept what was left of the city, as well as sickness and disease. Temporary buildings and camps were made to shelter people through the winter, whilst lots of work and money went into rebuilding the burned down areas – a process that took nearly 50 years.

In loving memory…

Emperor Shah Jahan was the son of an Emperor, and as such, received a cultured, broad education and excelled in the martial arts. He was a commander of his father's armies in numerous campaigns. He became responsible for most of the territorial gains of his father's reign.

Mumtaz was the Shah’s favourite wife (he had 10), and she died giving birth to their 14th child. She enjoyed watching elephant and combat fights performed for the court. Mumtaz devoted some time to a riverside garden in Agra and it may have been her affection for this garden that prompted the eventual form of her monument.

The death of Mumtaz crushed the emperor, and he was so upset that all his hair and beard were said to have grown snow white in a few months.

When Mumtaz was still alive, she made the Emperor give her 4 promises: first, that he build a mausoleum to remember her; second, that he should marry again; third, that he be kind to their children; and fourth, that he visit the tomb on her death anniversary. However, due to ill health and being under house arrest by his own son and successor to the throne, Aurangzeb, barred him from continue to keep the last promise.

The Taj Mahal is a massive mausoleum (tomb) of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648. The Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage. It is located on the right bank of the Yamuna River in a vast Mughal garden that encompasses nearly 17 hectares, in the Agra District in Uttar Pradesh.

The Taj Mahal cost $32 million rupees to build (and that was back in the 1600s)! Today this equates to around US$1 billion. It took over 20,000 workers nearly 20 years to construct. The central dome reaches 73m in height.

The tomb laid out in rectangular shape can be approached through an immense gateway with huge arch and alcoves strewn on either side that stands tall and erect, as though guarding something precious. Three other smaller gateways follow the red sandstone towers topped with domes in white marble together make a pretty picture.

The colourful centre of the Red Square

St. Basil's Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Intercession, is a very famous cathedral in Moscow, Russia which was commissioned by Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible), for Saint Basil the Blessed. It is in the area called Red Square. It was built in 1555-1560.

St Basil's Cathedral has become a globally recognised image of Russia. Situated on Red Square beside the Kremlin, the cathedral is an integral part of Moscow's city scape and an astounding achievement of ancient Russian architecture, joining eleven unique churches into a single ensemble.

The tallest spire reaches a height of 47.5m

It was only in the 17th century that Russian architectural styles began including more whimsical color schemes. Saint Basil's, in particular, received the inspiration for its decoration from a passage in the Book of Revelation, which describes the Heavenly City.

The St. Basil’s Cathedral Church has almost been destroyed twice. The first time in 1812, when the French forces occupied Moscow and Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to destroy the church. However, they had to retreat before they could do so and the cathedral was saved. The second time was during the Soviet period, it is believed that Stalin wanted to burn down the cathedral to establish the end of the Tsardom in Russia and signify the new regime. 

The Russians themselves had also set fire to the Cathedral to protect it from invading forces. Luckily it was able to be solved. 

The building is still partly in use today as a museum and, since 1991, is occasionally used for services by the Russian Orthodox Church. Since 1997 Orthodox Christian services have been held regularly. Nowadays every Sunday at Saint Basil's church there is a divine liturgy at 10 a.m. with an Akathist to Saint Basil.

I tower over Rio

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Christ the Redeemer is an Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, created by French sculptor Paul Landowski and built by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa. It was constructed between 1922 and 1931. The statue is 30m high, excluding its 8m pedestal. The arms stretch 28m wide.

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The statue weighs 635 metric tons, and is located at the peak of the 700-metre Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park. A symbol of Christianity across the world, the statue has also become a cultural icon of both Rio de Janeiro and Brazil, and was voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

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An idea for a statue began in the 1850s when the priest Pedro Maria Boss suggested placing a Christian monument on Mount Corcovado to honor Isabel, princess regent of Brazil and the daughter of Emperor Pedro II.

Throughout the years the statue has undergone periodic repairs and renovations. In 1980 it underwent a thorough cleaning in preparation for the visit of Pope John Paul II to Brazil that year, and in 2010 the surface was repaired and refurbished. Escalators and panoramic elevators were added beginning in 2002; previously, in order to reach the statue itself, tourists climbed more than 200 steps as the last stage of the trip.

I loved the ladies

Henry VIII was King of England and Ireland from 1509 - 1547, and is perhaps one of the most famous monarchs in English history.

Born on 28 June 1491 at Greenwich Palace in London, Henry was the second eldest son to Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. The young prince was never expected to become king, but when his older brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales, died unexpectedly at the age of 15, Henry became heir to the throne.

Upon the death of his father, Henry was coronated on 24 June 1509 — he was just 17 years old. He immediately set about marrying his elder brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon.

The young King Henry was said to be handsome, clever and fun in contrast to his boring father. He was over six feet tall and loved jousting, hunting, composing music and throwing big, expensive parties! He loved spending money. Henry wanted to show off all his wealth and built many magnificent palaces — like Hampton Court Palace — and castles that would impress his subjects and rivals. He broke with the Roman Catholic Church and had Parliament declare him supreme head of the Church of England (the Anglican Church), starting the English Reformation, because the pope would not annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. He wanted to remarry and produce a male heir.

In his later years, his indulgence took its toll on his physical health. The older King Henry was hugely overweight and struggled to walk. At the age of 50 he had a 137cm waist! He also suffered from a gruesome ulcer on his leg that caused him constant pain — which may have explained his bad temper!

Henry is known for being a ruthless King who ruled with an iron fist. Strong-willed and bullish, he handed out executions to anyone who stood in his way. In fact, during his 38-year reign, it is said he had more than 70,000 people executed.

Henry VIII’s first wife was Catherine of Aragon, daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Anne Boleyn became Henry’s second wife after the pair married secretly in January 1533. On 30 May 1535, King Henry married Jane Seymour. Unlike his previous wives, however, Jane never had a coronation and so was never crowned Queen of England.  He married Anne of Cleves on 6 January 1540, only for the marriage to be annulled a few weeks later.

Next in line to marry King Henry VIII was young Kathryn Howard – lady-in-waiting to Anne of Cleves and first cousin to Henry’s second wife, Anne Boleyn. They married in July 1540. The last of Henry VIII wives was Catherine Parr who he married on 12 July 1543. 

The lowest point on earth

The Dead Sea is a salt lake located in the Judean desert of southern Israel, bordered by Jordan to the East. With its origin dating back to some four million years, it is one of the earth’s saltiest bodies of water and is the lowest point on earth. Its arid desert climate features year-round sunny skies, and relatively high temperatures, with little precipitation.

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The Dead Sea is one of the four saltiest bodies of water in the world. These special conditions are an outcome of its extreme geomorphological structure alongside a harsh desert climate. These create constant dramatic changes that form a landscape that is different from any other in the world. Also, the unique mineral content of the air, land, and water in the area is globally renowned for its therapeutic qualities, as is evident in that it has been a health resort for thousands of years. 

The shores of the Dead Sea glitter with crystallised sodium chloride, where the sun evaporates the water, in colours of white and turquoise.

In various languages, the Dead Sea is referred to by different names.  The earliest known name is recorded in the Hebrew Bible, where it is referred to as “the Salt Sea”, due to its significantly high salt content. In the later Roman era, salt was a very highly valued commodity – Roman soldiers were paid in salt rather than money! This is also the source of the Latin word “salary”, which comes from “salt”. Through early translations into foreign languages continued to use the original name of “Salt Sea”, by the Roman era, visitors to Judea began calling it “The Dead Sea”, as they noticed that the waters were devoid of all life forms, whether plants or animals. 

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One of the main must-do activities on all tourists’ lists is floating in the Dead Sea. Because of the high concentration of salt, the water is much denser than plain fresh water, meaning that our body weight is lighter – which causes us to float! The minerals and salts exclusive to the Dead Sea have been luring visitors for thousands of years, making it the world’s first health resort, dating back to the time of Herod. The high concentration of antiseptic minerals in the mud and salt of the Dead Sea makes it especially beneficial for skin diseases. Covering the body in mud extracted from the Dead Sea helps the minerals become absorbed into the skin.

The water level of the Dead Sea has been receding gradually, at an average annual rate of about 110 cm. This causes some concern about whether the Dead Sea is drying up. The natural recession is caused mainly by evaporation under the harsh desert sun, but also because water is no longer being pumped into the Dead Sea from former sources like the Jordan River. 

The most wanted and most beautiful

Mantises are an order of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae. Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They have triangular heads with bulging eyes supported on flexible necks.

Usually found among vegetation rather than on the ground, a mantid may be disguised to resemble green or brown foliage, a dried leaf, a slender twig, a lichen, a brightly coloured flower, or an ant. This camouflage hides it from predators and also makes it inconspicuous as it stalks or awaits victims. The female, which often eats the male during mating, lays about 200 eggs in a large cocoonlike capsule (ootheca), which serves to protect the eggs from adverse weather conditions and enemies. The nymphs, which lack wings but otherwise closely resemble adults, all emerge at the same time. The nymphs are often cannibalistic.

The name mantis, which means “diviner,” was given to this insect by the ancient Greeks because they believed that it had supernatural powers. Its current name, mantid, or “soothsayer,” also reflects this belief. Numerous myths and legends are associated with the mantid because it can remain motionless or sway gently back and forth, with head raised and front legs outstretched in an apparent attitude of supplication. According to superstition, the brown saliva of a mantid can cause blindness in a man, and a mantid, if eaten, can kill a horse or mule. 

The kung fu mantis or Hymenopus coronatus Orchid mantis, is a praying mantis that originates from India, the surrounding Islands, and East to Thailand and Malaysia. Orchid mantids are one of the most beautiful Mantids in the world. 

The kung fu mantis sells for US$125! It is one of the most sought after mantids for sale in America.

I’m hot in the day and cold at night

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Sahara, from the Arabic ṣaḥrā meaning “desert”, is the largest desert in the world. Filling nearly all of northern Africa, it measures approximately 4,800 km from east to west and between 1,200 and 1,900kms from north to south and has a total area of 8,600,000km2; the actual area varies as the desert expands and contracts over time. The Sahara is bordered in the west by the Atlantic Ocean, in the north by the Atlas Mountains and Mediterranean Sea, in the east by the Red Sea, and in the south by the Sahel—a semiarid region that forms a transitional zone between the Sahara to the north and the belt of humid savannas to the south. 

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Sand sheets and dunes cover approximately 25% of the Sahara’s surface. The principal types of dunes include tied dunes, which form in the lee of hills or other obstacles; parabolic blowout dunes; crescent-shaped barchans and transverse dunes; longitudinal seifs; and the massive, complex forms associated with sand seas. Several pyramidal dunes in the Sahara attain heights of nearly 150m.

The Sahara is the hottest desert in the world – with one of the harshest climates. The average annual temperature is 30°C, whilst the hottest temperature ever recorded was 58°C. The area receives little rainfall, in fact, half of the Sahara Desert receives less than 1 inch of rain every year.

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Despite many thinking of the Sahara as a constantly hot climate, temperatures drop dramatically at night, due to the lack of humidity, and can reach lows of -6°C. Snow falls regularly on several mountain ranges, but nowhere else in the Sahara. 

Winter air circulation patterns draw cool, moist air towards the northern Sahara from the Atlantic and Mediterranean. This results in higher winter precipitation along the Saharan fringe in this season.

Over higher ground – such as the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria – rising air can cool, condense, and if the air is cold enough its moisture can freeze to form snow crystals and then, eventually, a blanket of snowfall. If the land surface is also cold, snow can persist and not immediately melt away.

It is under these weather conditions, and in these mountainous areas, that snow in the Sahara can occasionally be found.

A science table

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The Periodic Table is a way of listing the elements. A chemical element is a chemical substance that cannot be broken down into other substances. Elements are listed in the table by the structure of their atoms. This includes how many protons they have as well as how many electrons they have in their outer shell. From left to right and top to bottom, the elements are listed in the order of their atomic number, which is the number of protons in each atom. It is called "periodic" because elements are lined up in cycles or periods. From left to right elements are lined up in rows based on their atomic number.

When they are lined up this way, elements in the columns have similar properties. Each horizontal row in the table is a period. There are seven (or eight) total periods. The first one is short and only has two elements, hydrogen and helium. The sixth period has 32 elements.

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The periodic table was proposed by Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869. Using the table, Mendeleev was able to accurately predict the properties of many elements before they were actually discovered.

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Most of the elements are solid at standard conditions (room temperature and pressure). The element iron is made only of iron atoms, and iron atoms are the same everywhere – iron atoms on Earth are the same as iron atoms on Mars.

Gallium (Ga) can turn from a solid to a liquid by merely sitting in your hand. It has a melting point of 29.8℃. The average temperature of the human body is 37℃. However, its boiling point is quite high – 2,229°C – making gallium useful in high-temperature thermometers. Carbon (C) reacts with other elements to produce 10 million different compounds. Carbon makes up 20% of the mass of living things.

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There are only two elements that exist in liquid form at standard conditions – mercury and bromine:

Mercury (Hg) dissolves and/or corrodes many metals, and as a result, it is not usually allowed aboard aircraft.

Bromine (Br) is harmful to the atmosphere. It is responsible for up to half of the loss of ozone above the Antarctic. Humans are responsible for about 30% of bromine in the atmosphere.

Danger in fresh water

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Piranhas are one of more than 60 species of razor-toothed carnivorous fish found in South American rivers and lakes. The have a reputation for ferocity. Most species, however, are scavengers or feed on plant material.

Most piranhas get a bad rap as terrifying predators that will tear to shreds any flesh that dares dip into its waters. This actually isn't true. Some piranhas are omnivorous and eat more seeds than meat. Some species are vegetarian. Others species eat shrimp, crustaceans, worms, carrion and other fish. Attacks on humans are actually very rare.

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Piranhas range from northern Argentina to Colombia, but they are most diverse in the Amazon River, where 20 different species are found. The most infamous is the red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri), with the strongest jaws and sharpest teeth of all. Especially during low water, this species, which can grow up to 50 cm (about 20 inches) in length, hunts in groups that can number more than 100. Several groups can converge in a feeding frenzy if a large animal is attacked, although this is rare. Red-bellied piranhas prefer prey that is only slightly larger than themselves or smaller.

Colours vary from silvery with orange undersides to almost completely black. The piranha's top and bottom teeth work together like scissors to cut up food. They lose and regrow teeth, much like sharks. Piranhas have very strong jaws for clamping down on prey. The black piranha has the strongest bite force recorded for bony fish

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All piranhas live in South America in rivers and lakes, and 20 different species are found in the Amazon River. Some piranhas have been found around the world, but these are thought to be pets that were released into waterways. In some U.S. states, it is illegal to transport, purchase, possess or sell piranhas.

Generally, when piranhas are feeding normally, the fish will spread out, and a scout will signal when a food source is found. When alerted, piranhas are very orderly. Some of the fish will take a bite and then move aside so another fish can take a bite. Just one red-bellied piranha can eat around 2.46 grams per day, or around one-eighth its body mass.

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Piranhas' natural predators include crocodiles, Amazon river dolphins (botos), and herons. With the decline of these predators, piranha populations are increasing in certain rivers. Humans also hunt piranhas for their meat and for the pet trade.

I was killed over 5000 years ago

Otzi, also called the Iceman, is the mummy of a man who lived more than 5,000 years ago. He was found in 1991, at a height of 3,210m on a glacier in Italy’s South Tyrol, near the border with Austria. The mountains there are called the Otztal Alps, which is why her was named Otzi.

Otzi was discovered by chance by two hikers. The hikers saw the body in a pool of melted snow under a rock. At first, they thought it was a tourist who had lost their way a few years earlier. This explains why the rescuers did not take special precautions when they tried to salvage the partly frozen body. They pulled and dragged at an arm, and hacked away at the ice with an ice axe and ski pole. A couple of days later it became clear that this was a very special find. 

Otzi has been extensively examined. He loved about 5,300 years ago and was probably 45 years old when he died. He was 160cm tall, and weighed about 50kg. Otzi had dark, wavy hair, a beard, brown eyes and a big gaps between his top teeth. He had no cavities, but his teeth were worn down.

The mummified man had a broken nose and a couple of broken ribs, injuries that had later healed. The contents of his stomach revealed that his last meal consisted of meat and vegetables, and porridge or wheat bread. There were 61 tattoos on his body, small cuts into which charcoal had been rubbed. They were probably the result of a therapeutic treatment such as acupuncture. An arrowhead in Otzi’s body shows that he was murdered. A deep cut in one of his hands suggests that he was involved in a fight shortly before his death. He also had a fractured skull from where he fell, or someone hit him on the head.

What is special is that Otzi’s gear was also found, including a filled backpack. He wore a type of pants, a coat made of sheepskin, and a bear fur cap on his head. His leather shoes were lined with grass. He had a copper axe, cooper being a desirable and valuable metal. The fact that Otzi had such an axe shows that he held a high position in society. He also had a bow and arrows, a dagger and two cylindrical containers, probably for keeping charcoal embers to make fire. 

Otzi was first kept in Austria. They later discovered that he had been found in Italy, 92.5km from the border with Austria. His body is now kept in a museum in Bolzano, Italy, where it is kept in a cold chamber to preserve the body. You can check him out through a small window.

I fall between Canada and America

Niagara Falls, a waterfall on the Niagara River in northeastern North America, is one of the continent’s most famous spectacles. The falls lie on the border between Ontario, Canada, and New York state, U.S. For many decades the falls were an attraction for honeymooners and for such stunts as walking over the falls on a tightrope or going over them in a barrel. Increasingly, however, the appeal of the site has become its beauty and uniqueness as a physical phenomenon.

The falls are in two main parts, separated by Goat Island. The larger division, adjoining the left, or Canadian, bank, is Horseshoe Falls; its height is 57 metres, and the length of its curving crest line is about 670 metres. The American Falls, adjoining the right bank, are 58 metres high and 320 metres across. The amount of water going over the falls would fill about a million bathtubs full of water every minute!

The Falls at Niagara are about 12,000 years old. They were formed when melting glaciers formed massive fresh-water lakes (the Great Lakes) one of which (Lake Erie) ran downhill toward another (Lake Ontario). The rushing waters carved out a river in their descent and at one point passed over a steep cliff like formation. The falls wear the stone underneath back by about 30 cm every year.

The falls have been the home to many risky maneuvers. A man named Blondin performed endless stunts on the high-wire, from crossing blindfolded to carrying a cooking stove and preparing an omelet on the high wire. Most spectacularly, was the stunt during which Blondin carried his manager on his back. Annie Taylor "Queen of the Mist" , a school teacher from Bay City Michigan was first person to travel over the Falls in a barrel on October 24, 1901. 

Do the Falls actually freeze?

Well, technically no. Though it is a trick question, to the eye it might look as though they do. During particularly cold temperatures, the mist and spray begin to form a crust of ice over top of the rushing water, making it appear as though the Falls have in fact stopped. However, the water continues to flow underneath the sheets of ice.

I weigh up to 50,000kg

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Humpback whales are found in every ocean in the world. Their Latin name, Megaptera novaeangliae, means "big wing of New England." It refers to their giant pectoral fins and their appearance off the coast of New England, where European whalers first encountered them. They have dark backs, light bellies, pleats on their throats, and a small hump in front of their dorsal fins, leading to the common name of "humpback."

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The humpback whale is a baleen whale known for its elaborate courtship songs and displays. Humpbacks usually range from 12 to 16 metres in length and weigh approximately 36 metric tons. This cetacean is distinguished from other baleen whales by its long, narrow flippers, which are about a third as long as the body and scalloped on the forward edge. Humpbacks also have large knobs on the head, jaws, and body, each knob being associated with one or two hairs.

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Humpback whales are frequent visitors to the coastal waters of New Zealand when they undertake seasonal long distance migrations (approximately 10,000 km/yr) between summer feeding grounds in high latitudes (Antarctica) and winter calving and breeding grounds in tropical or near tropical waters. They live along the coasts of all oceans, occasionally swimming close to shore, even into harbours and rivers. They undertake long migrations between polar feeding grounds in summer and tropical or subtropical breeding grounds in winter. 

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Humpback whales are known for their magical songs, which travel for great distances through the world's oceans. These sequences of moans, howls, cries, and other noises are quite complex and often continue for hours on end. Scientists are studying these sounds to decipher their meaning. It is most likely that humpbacks sing to communicate with others and to attract potential mates. Humpback calves are known to "whisper" to their mothers.

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The humpback is also one of the most acrobatic cetaceans. It frequently breaches by leaping belly-up completely clear of the water, then arching backward and returning to the surface with a loud slapping sound. When beginning a deep dive, the animal hunches its back and rolls steeply forward, bringing its tail out of the water and perpendicular to the ocean surface.

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Breeding and calving both occur in winter, as gestation lasts around 11 months. Nursing seems to continue until calves are one year old. Both females and males are sexually mature at around 5 years old and females typically give birth every two to three years.

Due to their coastal distribution, humpback whales were heavily exploited by the whaling industry, and it is estimated that over 90% of some populations were killed. Most populations now appear to be recovering. These whales are known to die from entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with ships. As these animals are only visitors to New Zealand, whale watching is opportunistic and is unlikely to affect their behaviour.

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Their diet consists of shrimplike crustaceans called krill, small fish, and plankton, which the humpback whale strains out of the water with its baleen. Humpbacks use a unique method of feeding called bubblenetting, in which bubbles are exhaled as the whale swims in a spiral below a patch of water dense with food. The curtain of bubbles confines the prey to a small area in the middle of which one or more whales surface.

Made up of 206 pieces

At birth the human skeleton is made up of around 300 bones. By adulthood, some bones have fused together to end up with 206. 

If broken our bones will re-grow and repair themselves. Often doctors will place a cast on splint to make sure these bones repair straight and true. They’re designed to stand up to daily wear and tear. For example, some bones must be able to absorb two to three times your body weight in force. They must also be resilient. You take 1 to 3 million steps per year, so bones are built to take the constant use.

The longest bone in the human body is the thigh bone called the femur.

The smallest bone found in the human body is located in the middle ear. The staples (or stirrup) bone is only 2.8 millimetres.

Like our skin, the human body's bones are also constantly worn down and re-made, to the point where every 7 years we essentially have a new bone.

More than half of our bones are in our hands and feet. The area of our body with the most bones is the hand, fingers and wrist where there are 54 bones.

One bone isn’t connected to any other bones - The hyoid bone, which is in your throat, is the only bone that doesn’t connect to a joint. The hyoid is responsible for holding your tongue in place.

The areas where our bones meet are called joints. The joints in our cranium have no movement while our hip joints allow for a wide range of movement.

The majority of human bones have a dense, strong outer layer, followed by a spongy part full of air for lightness, while the middle contains a soft, flexible, tissue substance called bone marrow.Bone marrow produces red blood cells which carry oxygen all over the body.

What about our funny bone?? It’s not even a bone. It’s your ulnar nerve, which runs inside your elbow. Hitting it triggers a surprisingly tingling, prickly pain.

Sleeps for 16-20 hours per day!

Often known as the ‘king of the jungle’, most lions actually live in the savannah or grasslands, in Africa. Just one population of wild forest-dwelling lions remains, in Gir Forest National Park, India. There are thought to be only around 23 000 lions left in the wild, there were around 200 000 living in Africa 100 years ago. 

Lions are the laziest among all the big cats. They spend most of their time resting and can sleep for approximately 21 hours a day.

A lion can run at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour. In saying that, it can’t maintain this for very long, and lions only usually travel 3-5 kilometres a day.

Usually, female lions hunt for the pride while the male lions protect the territory and their cubs. They usually hunt from dusk till dawn. Lionesses work together in a team while hunting, and the whole pride shares the kill. But they follow an order: the males eat first, then the females, and lastly the cubs.

Cat species are normally quite lonesome characters, but lions however like to hang around in groups, called prides.

In their pride there will be females, young lions and a few adult males and there are normally about 10 or 15 in a pride.

Lions are very good swimmers; surprising as cats don’t swim at all.

Did you know? The roar of an adult male lion can be heard from 8 kilometers away! That means a lion could be roaring in Waipukurau and we would hear it.

While walking, the heels of a lion do not touch the ground. They walk on their tiptoes.

Lions are very sharp-sighted as they have five times better eyesight than human beings.

If you’ve ever seen ‘The Lion King’, you will remember Simba. Well there is a language in Africa called Swahili, and Simba actually means lion. 

You might see me twice in your lifetime

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Halley’s comet is arguably the most famous comet in history. As a "periodic" comet, it returns to Earth's vicinity about every 75 years, making it possible for a person to see it twice in their lifetime. It was last here in 1986, and it is projected to return in 2061

Halley's periodic returns to the inner Solar System have been observed and recorded by astronomers around the world since at least 240 BC. But it was not until 1705 that the English astronomer Edmond Halley understood that these appearances were re-appearances of the same comet. He examined reports of a comet approaching Earth in 1531, 1607 and 1682 and predicted that it would return in 1758. Halley's calculations showed that at least some comets orbit the sun.

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The first known observation of Halley's Comet, or Comet Halley, took place in 239 B.C., according to the European Space Agency. Chinese astronomers recorded its passage in the Shih Chi and Wen Hsien Thung Khao chronicles. Another study (based on models of Halley's orbit) pushes that first observation back to 466 B.C., which would have made it visible by the Ancient Greeks. 

When Halley's returned in 164 B.C. and again in 87 B.C., it probably was noted in Babylonian records now housed at the British Museum in London. 

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The 1986 appearance of Halley's Comet was the least favourable on record. In February 1986, the comet and the Earth were on opposite sides of the Sun, creating the worst possible viewing circumstances for Earth observers during the previous 2,000 years.

During its 1986 visit, Halley's Comet became the first comet to be observed in detail by spacecraft, providing the first observational data on the structure of a comet nucleus and the mechanism of coma and tail formation. These observations supported a number of longstanding hypotheses about comet construction, particularly Fred Whipple's "dirty snowball" model, which correctly predicted that Halley would be composed of a mixture of volatile ices—such as water, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and dust.

kotahi, un, or grej?

Once upon a time, a long time ago, way back in 2009, a Swedish man, Micael Hermansson, decided he needed to change how he was teaching his class of students. He had a group of students that lacked enthusiasm for school. What could he do that would inspire them to want to learn, to have a thirst for knowledge? Micael truly believed that “knowledge is cool.” While he was growing up Micael learned all of the capital cities of the world. He memorised how long all of his favourite songs were. He loved facts!! He wanted to kick start each morning with a mind-blowing micro lesson. Learn something new every day.

The tallest living things in the world

It’s visible from Outer Space

It’s a fruit (sort of). It was once used as currency

Lots of eyes. We are one of its predators

We do this about 14 times a day (on average)

Made popular in the 80s, by a Kiwi

A famous bouquet

Fast as a Bullet

I can be electric

Used in the heat of the day or in the pouring rain

Each afternoon I will give you a clue for the next day’s lesson. Sometimes the clues are simple, and sometimes they are really tricky! When you get home you do 2 things - retell a few facts from the lesson that morning, and then try and figure out what the topic will be the next day.  The next day we will start with the clue and you will let me know what you think I’ll be teaching you. 

At the end of the lesson I have you turn and talk to the people who are near you - share 3 things that you remember! It always amazes me what my students remembered. They then shared with the whole class. Next came the fun part - I would hand out the images which would be pasted into their GOTD notebooks. The deal was simple - write 3 facts that you remember. Oh, and create a hashtag, be as creative as you like. Don’t worry, I’ll help you all out when we start this shortly. 

My students used a small notebook. We have a large book, which will be easier for you to write in. I bet you will notice your writing improving each day. Some of my children wrote more than 3 facts. One often included “Super fact” or super duper fact. You are able to set your page out however you like - this is your chance to be creative. To start off, we will probably need 10-15 minutes to write our notes, but we will get faster as the year goes on. I would normally say 5-7 minutes, and if you finished early you could then go and do some more research on the iPads or chrome books.

Each day there is a larger image which needs to be added to either the World Map, or our map of New Zealand. I will gladly help you with this, but I know that most of you will help each other out too. We add a bit of yarn to the image and pin it in the right place. This image was taken just before the display was taken down for the year. Imagine what ours will look like - it should have twice as many “grejs.”