The Matariki evening saw people relaxing around the beach bonfire. It was similar in Pauanui for their Matariki celebrations too.
According to Māori star lore, Taramainuku is the captain of the great celestial waka, Te Waka o Rangi – a canoe formed from stars, with Matariki at the prow and Tautoru (Orion’s Belt) at the stern. Every night, Taramainuku casts his net down to earth to gather the souls of the people who died that day, carrying them along behind his waka for the next eleven months.
Once a year, when the Matariki constellation rises again on the eastern horizon, Taramainuku releases these souls into the sky, where they become stars.
This is the origin of the saying “kua wheturangihia koe” –“you have now become a star.” It’s also why, during Matariki, people pause to remember those who have passed. Matariki is considered the Māori New Year.
Friday, 10 July, brought ideal weather – perfect for the long weekend and school holidays. Kuaotunu had a full day of celebrations, starting at dawn as the Matariki star cluster became visible in the sky.
Throughout the day, there was an exhibition in the hall where nine local artists paid homage to the nine stars of Matariki. There were also demonstrations of harakeke (flax weaving), uku (clay work), and kōrero around kaitiakitanga (talks about guardianship of the environment).
As the day drew to a close and the sky streaked orange with the setting sun, waves lapped gently against the Kuaotunu shoreline. Families gathered at the boat ramp for the lighting of the bonfire – an opportunity for the community to come together to celebrate, reflect, and contemplate. Very young children, wrapped in blankets, sat or slept on their parents’ and grandparents’ laps. The older kids held marshmallows just at the edge of the flame, low and patient, the way you learn only after you’ve set a few on fire and eaten them anyway – black and bitter, because nobody wanted to waste one. Sitting around a fire is primal, creating community in the low hum of conversation.
As the sparks of the fire rose into the clear night sky, I had my own introspective moments, thinking of my ancestors and the people who had passed in my own life – especially Mum. Kuaotunu is one of the few dedicated dark sky places in the world, where light pollution is kept to a minimum. As I stepped away from the fire into the pure darkness of the night, the Milky Way and the Southern Cross shone in their full glory. I found myself searching the sky, thinking of her, and of that old saying – kua wheturangihia koe. Wouldn’t it be nice if she really was up there somewhere, watching over me. No matter what language we speak or culture we come from, we all look at the same stars.
