Milania Lang is only 5 years old, but she didn't let 6.8km of busy roads get in the way of an epic solo scooter journey.
Milania's intrepid outing began when mum Kamilla took her and two friends, plus Kamilla's 19-year-old niece Danielle, to watch a movie at the Auckland waterfront on a recent busy Sunday
"We'd been at the Lantern Festival and I'd heard there was a kid's movie on at the Wynyard Quarter. So I decided to take the children to see it."
With the three children and Danielle, Kamilla went to an information centre on the waterfront to ask about the film.
"They were only about a metre behind me. I thought Milania was just an arm's reach away." But setting out for Princes Wharf, Kamilla realised Milania was missing.
"I asked the others if they knew where she was; but they didn't. So we started frantically looking." But Milania was nowhere to be seen.
Security staff reviewed CCTV footage, which revealed Milania had looked away at the moment the others went into the centre and it showed her looking around, confused, and scootering off in the opposite direction.
Kamilla called the rest of Milania's family and they came immediately to join the search. After about an hour, the police were called.
One of the officers asked if there was any chance of Milania having gone home. Kamilla thought it unlikely but went with an officer to their home almost 7km away.
"I left the other children with my friend, and drove home in the car. The officer said it was time for us to alert the media and get a helicopter out. That really hit me hard."
They arrived at the family home, but Milania was nowhere to be seen. As they were driving back, a policewoman saw a small child four doors from the home, sitting on a footpath.
"She asked me 'is that her'," said Kamilla. And it was and she was very tired and quiet, but calm. The first thing she said to me was 'you lost me Mum'!
Milania explained she'd lost sight of the group and thought they must have headed home. "So she decided to scooter home to find us. She had to cross some of Auckland's busiest streets all by herself."
Milania's journey is all the more remarkable as she has been to the Wynyard Quarter only two or
three times this summer.
Asked if she was scared or sad during her epic journey, Milania responded: "I cried, but just a little."
Comprehension Questions
WALT: Analysing an article
Record your responses to the following questions on your blog. (Think about a suitable title)
1) Do you think Milania did the right thing? What could she have done instead? No I don't think Milania did the right thing because she could have been injured or kiddnapped. Instead she could have told an adult and returned to where she was lost or stayed where she was and waited for her family to find her.
2) What are some potential dangers that Milania faced? She could have been hit by a car, injured during the journey or gotten lost in the giant city.
3) Define Frantically and what is another word for it that you could use. Madly, hurridly, worriedly.
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