What are the 6 stars of Matariki?
A popular Māori legend is that the seven Matariki stars are a mother (Matariki) and her six daughters – Tupu-ā-nuku, Tupu-ā-rangi, Waipunarangi, Waitī, Waitā, and Ururangi.
Matariki is a special occasion in the New Zealand calendar which marks the start of the Māori New Year. Signified by the Matariki cluster of stars reappearing in our night sky, this is a time to reflect on the past year, celebrate the present, and plan for the year ahead.
A popular Māori legend is that the seven Matariki stars are a mother (Matariki) and her six daughters – Tupu-ā-nuku, Tupu-ā-rangi, Waipunarangi, Waitī, Waitā, and Ururangi.
However, not all iwi iwitribesMāori | Noun celebrate at the same time. Some may begin festivities on the first full moon after the star cluster rises, or on the next new moon. Compared with other star clusters, Matariki is close to Earth – but it’s still 440 light years away. If you drove there in a car at a speed of 100 kilometres an hour, you would arrive in 4.8 billion years!
From early June, before sunrise, look to the north-east horizon. Find the constellation Tautoru TautoruOrion's beltMāori | Name, or Orion’s belt (sometimes called ‘the pot’). Trace a line northwards from the three stars of Tautoru. Look for a faint sparkle of tiny dots, about the same width as Tautoru is long. This is the Matariki star cluster. Matariki can also be seen during the summer months in this location of the sky after sunset. The brighter and clearer the stars seemed, the warmer the growing season would be, ensuring a good harvest.
In Māori culture, Matariki is both the name of the Pleiades star cluster and of the celebration of its first rising in late June or early July. This marks the beginning of the new year in the Māori lunar calendar.
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