7th Matariki Month - Hakihea (2nd Year)

Te Marama o Matariki He Maramataka Māori -

Hakihea

7th Month of the Matariki Year - December/January

Ka maranga mai a Pareārau i muri atu i a Tamanui te Rā. Kei te pūāwai te Rewarewa me te Ngaio. E kī ana ngā manga o te Porokaiwhiri i te huarākau. E tākaro whiu teka te Tiemiemi me te Kapowai i roto i te wera. Ka rongohia te reo o ngā pīpī manu, e waiata mai ana i o rātou kōanga. He wā mutunga mō te whakatō i ngā huawhenua.

Jupiter rises after the Sun. Honeysuckle and Ngaio are in flower.Pigeonwood branches are covered with fruit. Blue Damselfly and Common Dragonfly dart around in the heat. Young chicks can be heard and seen in their nests. The last of the crops are now planted.

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Raupō Bullrush

Typha orientalis

‘He tānga kākaho koia kia kitea e te kanohi, 
tēna ko te kokonga ngākau e kore e kitea.’

‘If reeds used for thatching are not straight they are soon detected, 
but not so the corners of the heart.’

This whakatauākī (proverb) is a reference to the obviousness of what is visible to us, while that which is submerged can neither be appreciated, nor clearly understood. 

When the flowers of Raupō appear during Hakihea (7th Matariki month), the earth is hot and the crops have been planted. 

Raupō is a native marsh plant growing wild on the margins of wetlands and swamps from the coast to montane regions throughout New Zealand. Raupō, known also as kōpūpūngāwha, kōpūngūwhā, koare, ngāwhā and kārito, dies away in winter and regrows again in the spring from a matted network of thick starchy rhizomes. Its soft spongy aerated leaves provide oxygen to the submerged parts of the plant. The velvety chocolate-brown female flowers explode during summer and autumn dispersing their densely packed downy seeds on the wind. Male flower spikes produce an abundance of deep-yellow pollen in the middle of summer.

Raupō is a valuable habitat for all kinds of wildlife and a highly respected food, medicinal and building resource. The reeds were used for covering poi, thatching for whare and storehouses, building mokihi or small river boats, sails and kites. The rhizomes were peeled then steamed, or eaten raw. The downy seed heads provided protection for open wounds, softness to sleep on and stuffing for poi. The pua or pollen was gathered and made into pungapunga, sacred, sweet breads blessed by Tohunga. 

Raupō is said to be  sustained by Wai-nui-ata, the personification of water and partner of Tiki the first man, who was made of red clay and  Raupō.

6th Matariki Month - Whiringa-ā-rangi (2nd Year)

Te Marama o Matariki He Maramataka Māori -

Whiringa-ā-rangi

6th Month of the Matariki Year - November/December

Ka maranga mai a Pareārau i te tahatū o te rangi rawhiti tonga ki te rawhiti. Kei te tiki kai ngā manu mō o rātou pīpī. Kei te pūāwai te Pōhutukawa me te Hīnau. Kei te kitea hoki ngā pepe pūriri i te ngahere. Kei te kaha te whiti o Tama Nui te Rä, he wā wera mō Papatūānuku. 


Jupiter rises in the east-southeast. Birds gather food for their chicks. Pōhutukawa and Hīnau are covered in flowers. Puriri moths can be found in the forest. The sun is strong and earth is quite hot.

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Nīkau Cabbage Palm Rhopalostylis sapida

‘Te wao tapu nui a Tāne.’

‘The great sacred forest of Tāne.’

This whakatauākī (proverb) is a reference to Tāne as kaitiaki, or guardian of the forest and that all that grows or lives within it is sacred.

The sun has grown strong and earth is quite hot when the soft, sticky, lilac-pink flowers of Nīkau burst from their pods in Whiringa-ā-rangi (6th Matariki month). 

Nīkau, the only species of palm native to New Zealand, can be found growing in coastal and low mountainous regions  from North Cape at the far top of the North Island to Banks Peninsula on the east coast and Okarito on the western seaboard of the South Island. It also grows 800 km east on the cold windswept Islands of Rēkohu (Chatham) and Rangiauria (Pitt) at a latitude of 44° 18’S making it the worlds’ southern most palm. Those in the south are likely to be more frost-tolerant than those in the north, and those on the coast somewhat hardier than those in the bush. 

Shaped by their environment, they can vary from upright and stout to gracefully arching. Nīkau are very slow growing. They can take between 40 to 50 years to form a trunk and over 200 years to reach 15m, or full maturity. About two, 3m long fronds, are shed from the tree every year, leaving a band of leaf scar behind on the trunk. The nectar filled clusters of sweet smelling flowers are a rich source of food for many insects and birds especially Kereru, as are its red berries. 

It was also a valuable resource for māori. Care must be taken with the central leaf bud or rito, as damaging it will bring death to the tree.  Nīkau is an offspring of Tāne Mahuta (God of the forest) and  Tunarangi (Guardian of Koromiko, Fern-Root, Harakeke and Nīkau).

5th Matariki Month - Whiringa-ā-nuku (2nd Year)

Te Marama o Matariki He Maramataka Māori -

Whiringa-ā-nuku

5th Month of the Matariki Year - October/November

Mai i ngā huringa āwhio o Aotahi me te hokinga mai o te Koekoeā i tōna haerenga tawhiti nui tawhiti roa, he tohu tēnei me tīmata te whakatikatika i te whenua mō te whakatō i te kūmara. Kei te kai te Tūi i ngā putiputi o te Harakeke. Kei te mahana ake a Papatūānuku kua rite te wā mō te tō i te kākano. He maha, he nui ngā mahi ahuwhenua.

The celestial movements of Canopus and the return of the Long-tailed Cuckoo from migration signals the time to prepare ground for planting the kūmara crops. Tui are feeding on the flowers of Flax. Earth is now warm and ready for seed. People are busy with gardens.

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Koekoeā Long Tailed Cuckoo 

Eudynamys taitensis

‘Kawe tonu, Kawe tonu.’ 

‘Carry on, carry on.’

This whakatauākī (proverb) refers to the focused determination and strong will displayed by the Koekoeā during its long migration. A reminder that we too can overcome adversities with these qualities.

When the shrill piercing sound of Koekoeā rides in on warm westerly winds from the north during Whiringa-ā-nuku (5th Matariki month), it is time to prepare kūmara for planting.

Koekoeā, known also as Kōhopereoa and Kawekawekā, are a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family and are native to New Zealand. They spend most of their time in the canopies of New Zealands’ tall forests. Adults grow to about 40cm and weigh around 125gm. Their striking dark brown and buff speckled breast and long tail feathers were prized by the māori for cloaks.

They fly over 3’500km to return to the place of their birth for the warm months of summer, where they lays eggs to be reared in the nests of small birds such as whiteheads, yellowheads and brown creepers. Koekoeā chicks hatching first, throw the host chicks from the nest and then mimic their calls. Māori believed Koekoeā was supernatural and of heavenly origins, a child of Rakamaomao, brother to the God of the winds. When the cold winds return from the south in Poutū-te-rangi, the Koekoeā song disappears from our land and they leave home once again for the warmth of the tropics. Kūmara are now ready for harvest. 


Some māori believed Koekoeā lost all its feathers in the cold months of winter and crept into holes where it hibernated in the form of a lizard, shifting its shape once again in the summer.

4th Matariki Month - Mahuru (2nd Year)

Te Marama o Matariki He Maramataka Māori - Mahuru

4th Month of the Māori Year - September/October

Ka hoki mai te Pīpīwharauroa i tōnā rerenga ki tawhiti nui ki tawhitiroa. Kua hoki mai ki tōna wähi whānautanga, ki te whānau i ōna hēki. E pūāwai ana te Kōwhai, te Puawānanga me te Rangiora. Kua aata ara mai a Papatūānuku i tōnā moenga roa o te Hōtoke. Ka tīmata ngā mahi ki te whakatikatika i ngā māra kai.  

Shining Cuckoo return from their migration to lay eggs in the place of their birth. Kōwhai, Clematis and Bushmans Friend are now in flower. Earth slowly wakes from a long winter sleep and the ground is prepared for gardens.

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Te Tohu o Kaupeka - Puawānanga

Sign of the Season - Clematis, Clematis paniculata

‘Tama tū, tama ora; tama moe, tama mate kai.’

‘He who works survives; he who is idle perishes.’

This whakatauākī (proverb) is a reference to the message brought by the arrival of Puawānanga (Clematis) and the Koekoeä (Shining Cuckoo) in the forests ‘Kia mataara! Awake!’

When the beautiful star shaped flowers of Puawānanga open in Mahuru (4th Matariki month), spring has arrived and it is time to prepare for planting.

Puawānanga, part of the ranunculaceae family is endemic to New Zealand and naturalized on Chatham Island. It can be found growing wild in both coastal and mountainous regions of the North, South and Stewart Islands. Flowers growing on vines further inland are usually larger than those on the coast and the male flowers are found on different plants and are larger in size than female flowers. The distinguished six-sepaled white unisexual flowers tumble over the tops of their host trees in clusters of 100 or more blossoms on  vigorous evergreen woody vines. The broad oblong shaped leathery leaves of  Puawānanga are quite smooth and dark green on top, with paler green undersides  that are thinly coated in a layer of tiny white hairs. 

Puawānanga, known also as Pōānanga, is an extremely sacred flower and as all beautiful flowers was borne of Rehua (Antares in Scorpio) and Puanga (Rigel in Orion), two eminent stars of the heavens. 

The flowering of Puawānanga in spring also signals the upstream migration of tuna, elvers or young eels who are also the children of Rehua.

3rd Matariki Month - Here-turi-koka (2)

Te Marama o Matariki He Maramataka Māori - Here-turi-kōkā

3rd Month of the Māori Year - August/September

Ka maranga mai a Whakaahu ki te tahatū o te Raki ki te Rāwhiti, kei te mau mai i te tupuranga hōu. Ka maranga mai hoki a Pareārau ki te paerangi o te Rāwhiti - Raki ki te Rāwhiti ki te ärahi mai, te kukume mai i Te Mangōroa ki te rangi tū-hāha. Ka kitea te Korimako e kai ana i ngā putiputi pūāwai o te Puahou me ngā Kohekohe. E makariri tonu ana Papatūānuku, engari kei te mahana te tangata mai i te inaina i te ahi. 

Castor rises in the northeast bringing new growth. Saturn rises on the east-northeastern horizon to lead The Milky Way through the heavens. Bellbirds are seen feeding on the flowers of Five-finger and Kohekohe. Earth is still cold, people are warmed by their fires.

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Te Tohu o Kaupeka - Te Mangōroa
Sign of the Season - The Milky Way The Galaxy 

‘E tūtaki ana ngā kapua o te rangi, 
kei runga te Mangōroa e kōpae pū ana.’

‘The clouds in the sky close in 
but above them extends the Milky Way.’

This pepeha (metaphor) reminds us to reach beyond that which may adversely effect our opinion of something to the place where a far greater potential lies waiting. 

Mangōroa can be seen sinking into the south-western horizon just before dawn during Here-turi-kōkā (3rd Matariki month). The earth is still cold and people stay warmed by their fires.  

Mangōroa is known also as Te-Ika-a-Maui or The Fish of Maui, Te-Ika-matua-a-Tangaroa, Te-Ika-o-te-rangi, Te-Ika-roa-o-te-rangi, Te-Tuahiwi-nui-o-rangi, Te-whenua-o-te-rangi, Te-Mangaroa, Te Mangoroiata, Te Mokoroa-i-ata, Te Paeroa o Whänui, Te-Ika-roa, Te-Ika-o-Raki, Te Tuahiwi o Rangi-nui, Whiti-kaupeka, Te Kupenga a Taramainuku, Te Awanui a Rangi, Long Fish and Long Shark.

It is a beautifully spiraled galaxy made up of dust, gas, and more than 400 billion stars some 43488.44 ly away, 0.156 MLY in diameter and 15590.6 ly in thickness. 

Mangōroa, the largest tribe of ra ririki or little suns (stars) in the sky is said to have been carried to the heavens in the form of a great luminous basket known as ‘Ko Te Mangōroa tonu taua kete’ in Uruao, the waka atua or supernatural canoe of Tamarereti, to adorn the body of Ranginui, the sky father. Others say it was Māui, the atua trickster who released the shark in the sky known as Mangōroa. Its task is to mark the passage of time during the night and lighten the morning hours.

2nd Matariki Month - Hōngongoi (2)

Te Marama o Matariki He Maramataka Māori - Hōngongoi

2nd Month of the Māori Year - July/August

Ka mimiti atu Meremere te whetū o te ahiahi i te 20:06 ki te parera kotipu. Kei te whai hua te Putaputaweta, ka kitea hoki ngā pūāwai o te Kōtukutuku 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 evening star sets at 20:06 in the west-northwest. 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.

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Te Tohu o Kaupeka - Tautoru
Sign of the Season - Orions’ Belt (Stars) 

Mintaka, Alnilam and Alnitak  

‘Kua kitea tetahi whetu, ko Tautoru, matangi tau tika, noho ki roto.’

‘When the stars of Tautoru appear, the wind remains set between the whakarua and tonga points of the compass.’ 

This whakatauākī (proverb) is a reference to the direction of the winds at this time of the year when Tautoru is seen rising, and a reflection of the moment he fell to his death in the dawn. 

When the bright stars of Tautoru are seen rising in Hōngongoi (2nd Matariki month) on the eastern horizon just before dawn, the earth is quite cold and people must stay by their fires to keep warm. 

Tautoru, known also as the whata of Puanga, Te Tira o Puanga, Te tuke o Maui, Te Tata o Tautoru and Te-tuke-o-Tautoru is comprised of  3 stars, Mintaka, Alnilam and Alnitak.

Tautoru the bird snare, is seen being pulled through the heavens by Puanga (Rigel), the bright ripe-red berry that lures the birds to rest from their flight on the perch of Tautoru.

Tautoru was known as a very esteemed bird snarer who invoked the bird snaring skills of Tāne Mahuta, God of the Forest, through rituals and karakia. Rauroha, the beautiful Goddess of Air, fell in love with Tautoru and slipped from the sky to be with him each night. Tautoru was forbidden to gaze at her face as her features were tapu and she would leave him again as the dark became dawn. Tautoru fell to his death during Hōngongoi,  when in yearning to witness her beauty he watched as the first rays of light touched her face, ending bird snaring season. When Tāne Mahuta learnt of the death of Tautoru, he took him up to the heavens and transformed him to the shining bird snare star cluster bearing his name.