My MOTAT Recount By Carolyn

Hook/Intro

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I went to MOTAT and saw how much technology there was. I was bursting to go to the Above and Beyond exhibition. Although I was disappointed when all of the old displays were gone, I still had a great time.

Scavenger Hunt

The first thing we did when we got to MOTAT was the scavenger hunt. The first place we needed to go was the fire station. At the fire station we had to find hoses, boots, axes, medals, wheels, helmets, etc. After we found everything in the fire station we went to the village. In the village there were lots of cottages. In the cottages there was glass to protect the displays. In the village we needed to find kettles, dummies, eggs, cribs, beds, washboards (wash room) and more. The next place we had to go was the school house. In there we had to solve the maths problems on the chalkboard, find slate boards and pencils, find a map, and sing the national anthem. When we finished visiting the school house there wasn’t enough time to go to the Pump house.

Above and Beyond

After the scavenger hunt, we went to the newest exhibition in MOTAT called Above and Beyond. Above and Beyond is an exhibition given to MOTAT from NASA the space organisation. In Above and Beyond room there were lots of different things. There were some games and a bird flying simulator. One of my favourite games was a game where you were up in space. There was debris/rubbish that you have to pick up with different robots. If you picked the wrong robot it would minus your points. There was also a magnet elevator that would drop the block down if it reaches the top.

Tram ride

Next, we went outside of MOTAT 1 to go to the tram station where the tram would pick us up. Our tram driver was Rob. Rob drove us to MOTAT 2. Along the way we went past a family of baby pukekos. They were with their Mum and Dad. It looked like the pukekos were small and fluffy. We also went past Auckland Zoo. When we got to MOTAT 2 Rob told us to stand on the tracks in front of the tram. We were all thinking “Oh no the tram is going to run us over.” But no, we were going to have a picture. After the picture, Rob told us that the metal pole that links to the tram and power line transports 600-700 bolts. If you touched it, you would die.

Educator and Experiments

After having lunch we entered a blue building to meet our educator Kent. Kent took us up some stairs near the Innovators Room to a classroom. Our classroom was called Discovery 1. In the classroom we learnt the forces of flight which are lift, thrust, drag, and weight. Kent set up seven different experiments. My favourite experiment was making an aircraft to put in this wind tube. My second favourite one was a hairdryer and a ping pong ball.

Exhibits

After the class we went to the Pumphouse/ boiler room. I thought that the Pumphouse would be hot and filled with the smell of coal and smoke. I was really disappointed because it was cold and dissolated. Not a single trace of smoke and heat. Next to the Pumphouse there was a car exhibit. In the car exhibit there were old vintage cars and racing cars. There was also a tractor. The tractor was green with a red handle and steering wheel. The wheels were very big and fat. In the corner there was a wedding car. A wedding car in the olden days  would have had no cover. The bride and groom would sit in the back of the car with the driver at the front. Next we went to the Technology room. In the Technology room there were lots of TVs, old phones, the first telephone and some rotary phones. There was also a selfie machine that took real selfies. Part of the display had some of the first video games like Pacman, King Kong and Donkey Kong. There was also a morse code sending device.

Conclusion

At the end of the day as always we had to go back to school. My favourite part of M.O.T.A.T. was Above and Beyond with all the games and the bird simulator. Even though they removed all the good old displays I was still very happy and had lots of fun. I really want to go back to M.O.T.A.T. again because there is always something new to see.

This is my recount about my time at MOTAT. During the last

5 weeks I have been learning to put my ideas into long big
paragraphes.