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Web conferences and experts
Replay web conferences
Web conference 1
The following questions from schools about traditional Māori navigation are answered in web conference 1 by Matt from Te Warewaka o Pōneke.
Questions from Arahoe School
- If the navigators had to navigate all the time, how could they survive with not sleeping at all?
- When people were sailing in the ocean, how could they locate land?
- When people were navigating what troubles did they have?
- How were the rising and setting points of the stars and planets used as signposts?
- How were the Sun and the waves used in navigation?
Questions from Ponsonby Primary School
- Will the Matariki stars go away?
- How far away is the closest Matariki star from Earth?
- Were the stars of Matariki used for navigation?
- Why do the Matariki stars only appear in mid-winter?
More questions from schools
- What were the waka like that they explored on - what did they take with them when they voyaged for exploration?
- Did they use any trigonometry in their navigation?
- Why are there stories with 7 stars and some with 9 stars in Matariki?
- Why does the date we celebrate Matariki on change?
- Why is it so important to know how the maori navigated?
- What was the first star out of the nine to appear in the sky?
Web conference 2
The following questions from schools about Cook's voyages and navigation are answered in web conference 2 by Brad, a hydrographic surveyor working on New Zealand's nautical charts.
Questions from Knights Stream School
- How do you know where to find the Matariki stars?
- How do you know where to go when the Matariki stars only come out one month in the year?
- How did Matariki become a special time in New Zealand?
- What tools did Captain Cook use to draw the map of New Zealand?
- What happened if Polynesian navigators couldn't see the stars on the boat?
Questions from Ngatimoti School
- What did Captain Cook and his crew eat?
- How did Captain Cook navigate to New Zealand and home again? Did they use the stars?
- How does a sextant work?
- Why was Nick's head the body part they named Young Nick’s Head after? Did any other parts of New Zealand get named after someone?
- What happened to the other people on Captain Cook’s ship when he died?
More questions from schools
- Were goats and pigs really needed to be dropped off on islands for shipwrecked sailors?
- Are there nine or seven Matariki stars?
- Where did sailors like Captain Cook stop to get food/supplies for their trips?
- How would sailors repair ships while at sea?
- Do captains (today) still train to navigate using these older methods in case modern technology fails while they are out at sea?
- Can only New Zealand see matariki or can other countries?
- How did the sextant get it’s name?
- Where did Captain Cook go to the toilet on the ship?
- Who was the first to see Matariki? When was it first celebrated?
- Did Captain Cook hunt whales while on the Endeavour?
- Why is it important to know how Captain Cook navigated?
Web conference 3
The following questions from schools about modern navigation at sea are answered in web conference 3 by Chris, a nautical tutor.
Questions from Mataura Primary School
- How do people make the shipping lanes that ships travel along?
- Is a GPS better than a map, or do you need both of them?
- Why do people still use paper charts as well as electronic charts?
- Where do people go to learn how to use things like the azimuth circle, stadimeter or radar?
- How do you get a job on a big shipping container?
Questions from Ilam School
- How do you see modern marine technology moving forward from where it is now?
- How accurate is echo-sounding and how do you actually calculate it? i.e. How much time passes between the sound and the echo for a depth of 100 metres for example?
- How do marine navigation techniques vary between night and day?
- If you were using radio technology I think storms and cloudy weather can create interference. Please explain if this is so or not.
- How do you actually create nautical charts from the information gathered using a multi beam?
More questions from NZ schools
- Why is Matariki a Maori Myth?
- When captain cook arrived to New Zealand what did he first discover
- In your opinion is GPS better then the old way?
- If you used a sextant or another marine device which device would be more accurate ?
- How do you become a captain of a navigation ship?
- How many navigation tools did Captain Cook use?
- What procedures are there if someone falls overboard?
- Does GPS show if there are big waves or storms nearby?
- How would a major earthquake affect the topography under the sea?
- Who would be the figurative father of modern navigation?
- How many years did it take to move from a single beam to a multi beam for surveying the seabed?
Meet the experts
Meet Matt Ammunson-Fyall, Business Liaison at Te Wharewaka o Pōneke
Matt's job is to grow business by creating relationships with organisations like schools and educational groups, tourism companies like Weta and Te Papa and companies that bring people to Wellington who want to hear the stories of the local iwi Te Ātiawa/Taranaki Whānui. Matt has a BA Political Science and a Diploma Māoritanga (VUW). Matt is from Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou, and Te Arawa.
