“When you can see Puanga, it shows that Matariki is coming.”
How to find Puanga and Matariki
Reweti said it was ideal to be somewhere with some height so you can see the stars rise over the horizon.
“There are certain stars around Puanga and Matariki, and if you can find them, you know you are looking in the right place.
“One of those really well-known groups of stars is Tautoru [Orion’s Belt]; if you look straight up from Tautoru, there will be a little bright star by itself just above it - that’s Puanga.
“To find Matariki, if you look back at Tautoru and then let your gaze travel across the sky in a northeast direction, you should see a triangle of stars called Taumata-kuku; as you keep travelling in line with Taumata-kuku, the next cluster of stars is Matariki.”
“To help you visualise that star map, there’s a huge waka in the sky - Te Waka o Rangi. Matariki is the nose of the waka and Tautoru is the back of the waka, and the triangle-shaped stars of Taumata-kuku become the sail of the waka.”
Matariki and food gathering
The stars of Matariki are closely tied to the natural environment, and six of the nine stars are used to forecast the abundance of food sources for the coming year.
“Say, if the star Waitī - that is associated with fresh water - is clear and easy to see, that would mean there’s a good amount of moisture in the air and gathering food from that source should be plentiful in the coming year.
“But if it is difficult to see or the star is smudgy, it means that collecting food from the source isn’t going to be as ample this year because there is too much moisture in the atmosphere.”
Two stars in the Matariki cluster - Waipunarangi and Ururangi - inform of the wind and rainfall for the coming year.
Lake Wiritoa and Matariki
Reweti said she had been told stories of elders and experts walking from Pūtiki Pā out to Lake Wiritoa to see Matariki in the reflection of the lake.
“They had to make sure the moon was in the right phase and that it was a clear and crisp night. Then, they would look into the water and see the upside-down reflection of Matariki in the lake.
“It would remind them of what the sky looked like when they were back in the Northern Hemisphere thousands and thousands of years ago and, when they remembered that, they would be reminded of the massive journey they had made across the biggest ocean in the world to arrive in Aotearoa.”
Puanga celebration
Whanganui will mark Matariki and Puanga season at Atu I Puanga Ki Matariki, formerly Puanga Rising. The free community event will include live entertainment, fun activities and kai in Majestic Square on the Matariki public holiday of Friday, July 14 from 5.30pm-9pm. The wet weather alternate day is Sunday, July 16, at the same time and place. The event is organised by Mainstreet Whanganui, Whanganui Māori Regional Tourism Organisation and Whanganui District Council.
Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.
