Cry of the Taniwha - Harper Collins New Zealand

Teaching Notes for Cry of the Taniwha by Des Hunt
Cry of the Taniwha is set in Rotorua, mostly on the outskirts of the Whakarewarewa
thermal area and nearby forest. There are links back to the devastating Tarawera
eruption of 1886.
The major themes that background the story are:
• thermal activity
• street gangs and gang culture
• choices and their consequences
• solving mysteries
• racial interactions
Thermal activity
There are a number of websites that give information about the Whakarewarewa thermal valley. However,
easy-to-understand information about the underlying geology is difficult to find.
• http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/HotSpringsAndGeothermalEnergy/HotSpringsMudPoolsAnd
Geysers/1/en is a good source of NZ information.
• http://www.nps.gov/yell/naturescience/geothermal.htm has similar information based on
Yellowstone National Park in the USA.
The following publications cover three NZ geothermal fields:
• Geology of Whakarewarewa Hot Springs by EF Lloyd (NZ Geological Survey, 1975) has good
illustrations and simple explanations. It is available through the National Library Service.
• Craters of the Moon Thermal Area by MA Mongillo (What’s the Story Publications, 2003) has
useful information about hydrothermal structures similar to those that are featured in Cry of the
Taniwha. The book is available through the National Library Service, or by writing to What’s the Story
Publications, Postal Delivery Centre, Pirongia.
• The Geothermal Guide to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland by Bridget Y Lynne, is one of the
best thermal area guides available. It can be obtained from Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland, PO Box
1992, Rotorua 3040, email: waiotapu@geyserland.co.nz.
Tarawera eruption
The first two chapters of Cry of the Taniwha describe fictional events during the eruption, and there are
further references throughout the story. These could lead on to an in-depth study of the disaster.
Three very good websites covering the event are:
• http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Kids/NZDisasters/MtTarawera.asp
• http://www.anheizen.com/
• http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/NaturalHazardsAndDisasters/HistoricVolcanicActivity/2/en
Lesson plans and activities on volcanoes in general can be found from:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/volcano/activities.shtml
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/volcano.html
Most school libraries will also have a book or two on the eruption. The National Library Service has a full
collection.
Teaching Notes for Cry of the Taniwha Page 1

Hydrogen sulphide
The sulphurous smell of Rotorua is due to hydrogen sulphide gas H 2 S. Structurally this substance is very
similar to water H 2 O, but has quite different properties. Around the home, hydrogen sulphide is most
commonly produced by the decomposition of protein, either in the human gut, by decomposing bacteria, or
by cooking. If students want to investigate this, the safest way is through cooking egg protein.
In a pot, cover a whole egg with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for at least 20 minutes. This
long time is needed to ensure that the inside of the egg reaches at least 70 O C. Remove the pot from the
stove and let the egg and the water cool naturally.
Remove the shell and open the white layer. The smell of hydrogen sulphide should be very obvious.
Remove all the egg white and study the surface of the yolk. It should be covered with a khaki-coloured layer.
This is iron sulphide, more correctly called ferrous sulphide. It is formed by the reaction of hydrogen sulphide
and iron which occurs in all parts of the egg. Ferrous sulphide is reacted with acid in the laboratory
production of hydrogen sulphide.
If you want more hydrogen sulphide, then put an uncooked egg in a hot-water cupboard for several
weeks. Take it outside before opening it.
Occultations and eclipses
On 9 June 1886, the evening before the Tarawera eruption, there was a unique astronomical event. Both the
planets Mars and Jupiter were occulted by the first quarter moon within hours of each other. The Mars’
occultation was visible from Rotorua and features in the opening sequence of Cry of the Taniwha.
An occultation occurs when one astronomical object blocks off the light from another. If it involves
the sun, earth and moon system, it is more commonly called an eclipse.
http://bonney.org/andrewchaikin/Occultation.html has three photographs showing the occultation
of Mars by the moon.
There are no occultations that will be visible from New Zealand within the next few years, but there
is one solar eclipse and many lunar eclipses.
The lunar eclipses that are visible at a time suitable for children are:
• 7 July 7 2009
• 26 June 2010
• 21 December 2010
• 4 June 2012.
The solar eclipse on 13 November 2012 will be an event of a lifetime for many children. While the total
eclipse of the sun will not be visible from New Zealand, enough of the disc will be covered to cause
considerable darkening. In Auckland, the amount covered will be close to 90%. Maximum coverage will be at
10.28 NZ Daylight Savings Time.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/solarsystem/sun/solareclipse.shtml has an excellent animation
of a solar eclipse.
An excellent free computer application for studying occultations and eclipses is Occult 4. It can be
downloaded from: http://www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/occult4.htm.
Teaching Notes for Cry of the Taniwha Page 2

Herons and other recent arrivals
Two species of herons feature in Cry of the Taniwha. In the 1886 chapters, the heron is the white heron,
kotuku. In the present-day chapters, the heron is the white-faced heron. This latter heron would not have
been found around Rotorua in 1886 as it only began breeding in New Zealand in the 1940s. Since then it has
spread throughout the country and is now our most common heron.
Most New Zealand birds had their origins in Australia. Some have been here so long that they have
evolved into different species. However, the more recent arrivals are identical to their Australian
counterparts. Below is a list of birds that have settled in New Zealand since man arrived.
• white-faced heron
• royal spoonbill
• grey teal
• Australian coot
• spur-winged plover
• welcome swallow
• silvereye or waxeye
• pukeko
• Nankeen night heron
Through web and library research students should be able to find a date for the settlement of each of these
birds. From this they can form a timeline showing when they arrived. If some significant historical events are
also placed on this timeline, it will give students the opportunity to visualize the scale of these events.
Students could also research the meaning of the following words to get a better appreciation of what
constitutes a native bird.
• indigenous species
• endemic species
• introduced species
Metal detectors
In Cry of the Taniwha, a metal detector allows the main characters to solve a mystery that goes back more
than 130 years. The following activity gives the opportunity to investigate the operation of a metal detector,
and (for the more technically minded) build an operating machine.
Metal detectors use electromagnetic waves to detect the metal. Electromagnetic waves come in a
range of frequencies from radio through microwave, infrared, light, ultraviolet, X-rays to cosmic rays. There
are various types of metal detectors, but all utilize the alteration of a radio wave by the metal being
detected. This alteration may be reflection or absorption and re-emission. The altered wave then interferes
with the original wave and, with a bit of electronics, can be turned into a sound or light signal.
This effect can be demonstrated using an AM radio and simple calculator. The simpler they are, the
better: the sort that can be purchased in gold-coin shops are ideal. The calculator is the transmitter of radio
waves, and the AM radio is the receiver. When the two are put in close proximity, the sound of the
calculator is heard on the radio. If any metal is nearby then the sound is altered.
The instructions are available at: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Homemade-Metal-Detector.
Photos and video for the above can be seen at: http://www.instructables.com/id/HomeMade-Metal-
Detector/HomeMade-Metal-Detector.pdf.
Teaching Notes for Cry of the Taniwha Page 3

For those who want to go metal detecting, reasonably cheap models can be found by searching for
‘metal detector’ at the following sites.
• http://www.surplustronics.co.nz/shop/
• http://www.zillion.co.nz/
• http://www.outtoplay.co.nz/
The electronically minded can make one out of components using the circuit at:
http://www.talkingelectronics.com/html/MetalDetector.html
Taniwha
Two excellent sources of information on taniwha are:
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taniwha
• http://www.teara.govt.nz/TheBush/UnderstandingTheNaturalWorld/Taniwha/en
Land-based and inland-water taniwha often have the form of a reptile which might be based on tuatara or
the giant gecko called kaweau. Also called kawekaweau, details of this gecko are sketchy as there is only one
specimen. Information is available at:
• http://www.bio.ucalgary.ca/contact/faculty/pdf/russell/46.pdf
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_giant_gecko
• http://www.teara.govt.nz/TheBush/FishFrogsAndReptiles/NgararaReptiles/3/ENZ-
Resources/Standard/1/en
• http://nzcryptozoologist0.tripod.com/id17.html.
A Friend in Paradise by Des Hunt is a children’s novel that features a living kaweau.
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