The talkative and enthusiastic Silverstream School 10-year-old knew she had done well in the exam, but little did she know she had scored 100% and high distinction, making her the top year 6 pupil not only in New Zealand, but in the whole Pacific.
And she managed to do it all with 15 minutes to spare.
''The words weren't that hard. Some of them were really easy for me,'' she said.
Her teacher, Linda Wallis, said for Kaea, sitting still for 15 minutes and not talking was an accomplishment in itself, because she was such an articulate and loquacious pupil.
The ICAS spelling exam is an independent spelling assessment developed in conjunction with Macquarie Dictionary.
It assesses and reports pupils' skills at spelling words in four different contexts - dictation, proofreading, error correction and applying rules and conventions.
Kaea said she had not studied for the exam. Rather, her secret to spelling success comes from a lifelong love of reading books.
She has been reading since she was 2 years old and is a self-confessed read-aholic.
''I love how books take me to different worlds and different times. I also love looking for any spelling mistakes.''
It is not the first time she has had success in ICAS examinations. Last year, she achieved high distinction in the year 5 ICAS writing exam and distinction in the year 5 ICAS spelling exam.
Her skill is such that she helps others in her class with spelling, and keeps the teachers on their toes when writing class work on the board.
Kaea has begun penning her own books and hopes one day to become a fantasy writer, but in the meantime she is preparing to fly to Auckland, where she will receive a medal for her outstanding achievement at an official ICAS ceremony.
