For my Māori language course I had to write 200 words for an assessment. Here's what I wrote. Note: there may be errors — we'll see what the tutor says when they grade it.

Ia rā, ia rā, ka haere mātou ko ōku kurī ki tātahi tākaro ai. I te hōtoke ka haere mātou i muri i te parakuihi. Nā te mea he tino mahana hoki te rangi i te raumati, ka haere mātou i mua i te parakuihi, i te ono karaka.

He pai ki ngā kurī te tahatai. Ka oma rāua, ka mimi, ka hongihongi. Ka kimihia ngā kurī e te kai. Pēnei tonu te hikoi. Kāore rāua ki te kaukau.

Titiro au ki te moana me te moutere o Kāpiti i tawhiti. He ataahua te tahatai. He roa, he whānui hoki. Kāore ngā tangata. Aue, te mārire rānei o te tahatai o Waikawa!

Ka mutu, ka hoki atu mātou ki te kāinga. Ka inu tī kākāriki au. Tino reka te tī! He inu pai te tī kākāriki.

Ka moe ngā kurī. Kua pau te hau!

I te ahiahi ka ako au i Te Reo Māori. Ka whakarongo au, ka pānui, ka tuhituhi. E hiahia ana au ki te ako i te reo Māori.

Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe.

Every day the dogs and I go to the beach to play. In winter we go after breakfast. Because the days are very hot, in summer we go before breakfast, at 6 o' clock.

The dogs like the beach. They run, they pee, they sniff everything. The dogs look for something they can eat. That's how the walk goes. They don't swim.

I look at the sea, and Kāpiti Island in the distance. The beach is beautiful. It's long, and it's broad. There's no-one around. Ah, Waikawa Beach is so peaceful!

When we're finished we return home. I drink green tea. The tea is delicious! Green tea is a great drink.

The dogs sleep. They're exhausted!

In the afternoon I learn the Māori language. I listen, I read, I write. I really want to learn the Māori language.

Strive for something of great value!

That last line is part of a proverb: Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe, me he maunga teitei or Seek the treasure that you value most dearly, if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain.

Part of the assessment is to read aloud what I've written. I need to practice a whole lot more. Here's a somewhat stumbling rendition. Also, my accent needs work. In particular, I'm the kind of person who pronounces the English word car as ka not kar. In Māori there should be a definite bit of a trill. Aue!