Welcome to the blog of the Te Parito Kōwhai Russley Writers’ Club. Here, we will showcase outstanding writing from our wonderful Russley Writers.
The fabulous poet Paula Green challenged us to write some poems for her 'Winter Poem Challenge' on Poetry Box. We had fun thinking of all the things (good and bad) about winter.
Congratulations to Rongo and Tyler, who both had their poems picked to be published on the Poetry Box website. You can read them on Poetry Box here or below.
Tyler’s Winter Poem
frost on the grass,
satisfying to step on
snow on the mountains
like a frozen waterfall
I sit on the living room floor
by the heater
and drink hot chocolate
with my cat, Poppy
Tyler, age 11, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School
Rongo’s Frozen Wonderland
blizzard as cold as ice
red fingers
fluffy puffy jacket
snow on the mountains
like gorgeous white chocolate
can see my breath like
a fire-breathing dragon
I sit at the kitchen bench eating
pancakes and waffles with syrup
like a golden waterfall
Rongo, age 9, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School
Congratulations to the following writers, who had their poems published on Paula Green's Poetry Box website. Special shoutout to Keanu, who Paula picked to send a poetry book to!
https://nzpoetrybox.wordpress.com/2026/07/03/poetry-box-shares-some-favourite-place-poems/
Summer holiday
Glistening ocean thunders
onto burning sand
Scorching sun streams
down through the salty air
Shiny grey rocks as slippery as ice
make me fall into the ocean
grandpa chuckles
Sweet strawberry ice cream
definitely makes up for the fall
“Don’t dawdle
while eating your ice cream
or your ice cream will melt,”
says dad
Mimi L, Age: 10, Year: 5, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School
Tian Jin Market
blue and green birds chirp
at the park next door
large dogs bark
strong winds howl
a man wearing a brown apron
sells juicy mango pulp
sakura shaped ice cream
tastes sweet and tangy
Nora Y, Age:9, Year: 5, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School
A Day at New Brighton Beach
As the gulls screech as loud as mega-phones
and the waves crash into the sand
I race into the water and lose to my brother
While the ocean gets colder and colder
the sand is warm and the
shells are as smooth as silk
I breathe in the fresh air
and it smells like salt
as the gulls get chased away
by my brother
Denzel Sangkop, age:12, Year: 7, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School
A Whole World In My Room
tossing and turning in my blue sheets
bright and tan fairy-lights twinkling in the dark night
my cozy blanket drips
down the side of my mattress
like pudding with oozing chocolate sauce
making the most comfy nap in all of Canterbury
my bedroom is irresistible to visit, when walking past
it’s just a bedroom everyone might say
but to me it’s MY bedroom
to the world it’s a single bed
but it’s my world to a singular girl like me
Emily S, age 11, Year 7, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School
Wahio River
tiny stones shuffling
dragon-like birds chirping
the bright blue sky shines
more than ever before
flowing stream, cold like
a freezing winter day
cool wind blowing
water pounding on the rocks
but suddenly,
i get pushed in
my dad laughs uncontrollably
Keanu R, age 10, Year 6, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School
The amazing game
panicked players running
bright orange basketballs bouncing
clean shoes squeaking as they touch the floor
hearts pounding fast like a cheetah running
energetic subs cheering for teammates
furious coach yelling as loud as an elephant
Max C, Age 9, Year 5, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School
Hanmer Springs on a Warm Summer’s Day
I am going down the tall hydroslide
with my mum
zooming as fast as lighting
while my sisters eat at the cafe reading books,
or sit in the hot pools.
Bees fly near the sulphur pools
because
they are attracted
to the disgusting smell.
Harrison E, Age 10, Year 6, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School
Seaworld in Australia
Spongebob boat roller coaster spins
Busy playground, noisy kids screaming
Crowded food stand, customers chat
The roller coasters are as big as two bedrooms combined
Biggest plane flies
Small splashes
Holiday cruise ship cruises
Salty popcorn fills my mouth as the shows begins
Little kids popping bubbles
Performing dolphins wow the crowd
Ava K., Age 10, Year 6, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School
The Room of Green
Warm sunlight shines on the smooth fur of
sleepy reindeer, like a heater
Pond like a bowl of water
filled with elegant ducks and tiny chicks
Black furry cats and orange kittens
cuddle under the trees
as if they’re in their comfy bed
Bunnies jump into bushes,
like kids playing hide-and-seek in the park
Pine tree dances, sparrows chirp
like a singing choir
The forest comes alive,
like a room full of life
Hannah C, Age 11, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School
Our writers created "bird poems" for Paula Green's May Poetry Challenge.
Congratulations to the following students who had their bird poems picked to be e-published on the Poetry Box website:
Emily Saleh-Barsoum (book prize winner)
Hayley Chen
Hannah Chiang
Lewis (Junwoo) Shin
Kastubh Khadka
Ammar Shoaib
Damon Wu
Mason Cox
"This was one of the most incredible challenges ever!I so loved getting your poems, little poem delights, little poetry wonders, little pockets of inspiration. WOW!!I loved how being inspired means we take the next step, even if it is very tiny."
"Just remember writing poems is something many of us love to do! Sometimes we get published and sometimes we don’t."
You can read the published poems on Poetry Box at this link:
https://nzpoetrybox.wordpress.com/2025/12/02/poetry-box-november-challenge-some-favourite-poems/
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Our latest crop of Russley Writers took up Paula Green's October Poetry Challenge... to write a poem about a native tree, inspired by Ned Barraud's wonderful book, Rākau.
We were delighted to read this morning, that Paula picked some of our poems to post on the Poetry Box website. In addition, poet Nathaniel will be the lucky recipient of a copy of Ned's book, Rākau! You can read them on Poetry Box at this link, or scroll down to read all seven fabulous poems on our blog.
The life cycle of a kōwhai tree
the morning breeze shakes the kōwhai tree
as zigzagging branches wiri wiri
coin-gold petals droop from sepals
stamen sick out like porcupine's quills
crinkly brown seed pods hang down
spreading seeds through the soil
another kōwhai tree grows
and starts again
By Nathaniel Wade, Year 6
Gleaming Kōwhai Family
bumby rumpy textured bark
branches reach to the sun
busy buzzing bumble bee
collects nectar with glee
tūī sings its songs of joy while
snuggling with her speckled eggs
drooping flowers, golden
like the coins you hold so dear
careful wind sweeps seeds
across the grassy floor
at night,
the moon shines
ruru passes
hunting for mice
glimmering raindrops
fall from the sky
then, the crash of
lightning
the kōwhai has stood
through every single day
the tree grows tall
making homes for bugs and birds
a hazel-haired girl stands
there looking at the tree
that girl is me,
the kōwhai is like family.
by Libby Greenall, age 10, year 5
My Kōwhai Tree
You are the seeds that jitter across the forest floor
like little dancers in the breeze
You are seed pods swinging like poi
slowly swaying to an invisible beat
You are the poi tassel leaves
pale and soft in clumped leaflets
You are the petals in small clumps
of golden coins hanging downwards
You are the gnarled branches reaching up
towards the sun, swishing happily
You are the rough bark that crumbles
to pieces in the wind
You are the feather cloak of fallen flowers
coating the grassy ground
You are my kōwhai tree
Isabelle Holmes, Year 6
New Zealand Beauty
tiny yellow tears scatter in the wind
knobbly seed pods gather on the ground below
little leaflets drift in the gentle breeze
every petal gleams like treasure in the sun
each sunny flower is like a pixie’s flowing skirt
spindly branches sway like dancers to a silent rhythm
long arms stretch, reaching for the clouds
rough brown bark home to moss and lichen
silky golden cloak envelops deep brown trunk
firm roots burrow deep into damp earth
creating hidden tunnels
lemon coloured tree stands out against cerulean sky
this is my kōwhai
Katherine Lord, Year 5
The Bright Kōwhai Tree
the kōwhai tree sways like
a boat in the sapphire sea
silky leaves wiggle
through the wind
prickly brown seedpods dance
through the sunlight
swaying like ballerinas
yellow flowers shine
like the ginormous sun
zig-zag branches perform tricks
like artistic sky-swimmers
Nico Meek, Year 5
Dancing Kōwhai Tree
crumpled tree skin like nana’s arms
bumpy branches twist like rattle snakes
silky smooth petals sway back and forth
crinkly brown seedpods twitch
like dancing peanuts
they dangle and fall to the ground
like rain drops
Evie Planicka, Year 5
The Sunny Sight of the Kōwhai Tree
sunny smooth yellow flowers
bright like shiny bow ties
tentacle-like stamen sway about
like swing chairs at the carnival
in the wind, seedpods judder
like washing machines
bumpy brown branches
zigzagging in the breeze
hard yellow seeds
tucked safely in their cosy pods
bright green-as tiny leaflets
holding on tight like caterpillars
the kōwhai tree is as gold as
the sun, it reaches up to the sky
greeting the warm
morning
Theo Planicka, Year 5
