Matariki atua ka eke mai i te rangi e roa e Whāngainga iho ki te mata o te tau e roa e.
Divine Matariki come forth from the far-off heaven, bestow the first fruits of the year upon us
I te ata pongipongi o Pipiri i whakakau a Matariki me ōna kāhui e korakora ana i te rangi. I tahuri tātou ki te mātai i a Ranginui raurarahi, i te wehi o te pō, i ngā tohu hakahirahira mō te tau e heke mai. Kua roa a Matariki e noho ana hei tohu o te tau hou. E hono ana a Matariki me ōna kāhui ki te hunga mate. I maharatia e tātou ngā mate o te tau kua hinga atu, kua hinga mai. Ka kōkiri tātou ki te hakatewhatewha i te ao ukiuki hei ruku tātou i te mātauranga Māori, ka tōia iho hei akoranga mō nāianei rangi, mō nāianei ākonga.
In the predawn darkness of Pipiri, the glittering cluster of Matariki rises. We turn our gaze to the great expanse of Ranginui, The Sky Father, to the magnanimity of the night and search for signs that will inform us of what is to come in the year ahead. The star cluster of Matariki has long been one of natural world's indicators that a new year is beginning. It is a time to remember those who have past. A time to dive into traditional teachings and knowledge, and bring these forth to guide us, not only today but in the years to come.
This year Te Herenga Waka o Orewa Marae organised a special event to celebrate our first official Matariki public holiday and chose this auspicious date to preform a hakawātea (cleansing ceremony). This hakawātea was performed to clear away the heaviness and burden's the pandemic brought so that we can move forward, together, as a community.
On the 24th of June at 6am close to 400 people gathered at Orewa Beach to celebrate Matariki. We held a hakawātea (cleansing ceremony) to lift the burdens of the past couple of years, clearing the way forward into the new year. We recited karakia before the sunrise, followed by waiata, shared kai and kite flying
A huge shout out to our community groups and businesses who supported our Matariki event: Dear Deer Coffee Roasting Bar (specialty coffee and muffins), Salt Trust & Northgate Church (soup, hot drinks and buns), Te Whakahaere Āhuarangi (sponsoring the sausage sizzle), Future Whangaparāoa & Mairangi Arts Centre (kites and activities), Orewa Surf Lifesaving Club (lights and power), Zero Waste (ethical rubbish collection), Hibiscus Coast Astronomical Society (star gazing activities) as well as For Purpose NZ and Andre de Beer for their donations.
