Those lucky enough to come out in the calm, mild conditions at the Dannevirke Domain on Wednesday evening, June 8, got a taste of the Tirama Luminate Light Trail, which set the tone for the three-day Matariki celebrations that were to come, had weather conditions not brought a postponement.
It was created by Ngati Kahungunu ki Tamaki nui-a-rua and was a project created by Te Rangi Huata – Mr Matariki – who has been promoting the Matariki message for more than 20 years.
Last Wednesday evening, he explained that his team of lighting volunteers had been working for a year but especially in the past eight weeks to create the Tirama Luminate Light Trail to reflect the nine stars of Matariki.
![Associations with the sea and migration.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/YSNPC3YZNGIKVMGJV45HKA7PWA.jpg?auth=6a78d47e7d2bd4b05051dbbf87c610a614eaa44e669c976da8cc7354d5b495aa&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
He said visitors would enter the Te Waharoa o Matariki gateway and observe the trail of luminous stones, each stone being a symbol of one of the Matariki stars and what it symbolises.