2nd Matariki Month - Hōngongoi

Te Marama o Matariki He Maramataka Māori - Hōngongoi

2nd Month of the Māori Year - July/August

Ka maranga mai Kōpū te whetū o te Ata i te 08:18 ki te Rāwhiti. Kei te whai hua te Putaputaweta, ka kitea hoki ngā pūāwai o te Kötukutuku ki runga i te whenua. Kei te tino makariri a Papatūānuku. Me noho tonu te tangata ki te pāinaina i te ahi, kia whai mahana tonu.

Venus, as the morning star rises at 08:18 in the east. Marble Leaf is covered in fruit and flowers of the Fuchsia Tree are found on the ground. Earth is now very cold, people must stay by their fires to keep warm.

Te Tohu o Kaupeka - Kotukutuku

Sign of the Season - Tree Fuchsia

‘I whea koe i te tahuritanga o te rau o te Kōtukutuku, i te raratanga o te waha o te Koekoeā?’

‘Where were you when the Fuchsia shed its leaves, when the song of the Longtailed Cuckoo was heard?’

This whakatauākī (proverb) uses Kōtukutuku and Koekoeā as a reference to time when questioning someone who expected to receive part of the harvest without contributing to its cultivation.

When Kōtukutuku flowers appear the season is very cold, people stay close to their fires to keep warm.

Kōtukutuku belongs to a small family of native New Zealand deciduous trees and is one of the largest Fuchsia species in the world growing to 30ft tall. In New Zealand it is common from sea level to 1060 m and is found along river banks and in second growth areas.

Kōtukutuku, known also as Kōhutuhutu and Matoutou, is descended from Tāne Mahuta, guardian of the Forests and Birds. Its name refers to the fine purple-green hanging bell flowers seen during Hōngongoi (2nd Matariki month) and the deciduous nature in Haratua (12th Matariki month) of its red papery bark and leaves. Its fruit is formed during Kohi Tātea (8th Matariki month), the sweet purple-black egg shaped kōnini, or berry, was a source of food for Māori and made into kōnini pudding and jam by early settlers.

Kōtukutuku flowers provide nectar for Tui, Korimako and Hihi during the cold winter months when food is scarce. The birds in return cross-pollinate the flowers enabling fruit and seeds to be formed, ensuring each others survival. Kōtukutuku was also used as rongoa, traditional medicine, in combination with other plants.