The cache:
Remember to record the code number in the container. You will need it for the bonus cache series. Bring your own pen.
Matariki Star Cluster
Matariki is a star cluster which are groups of stars that are connected by gravity. The whetū (stars) in Matariki are relatively young, forming within a nebula around the same time within the last 100 million years (around the time that dinosaurs went extinct). They are much larger than our Sun and are blue because they are very hot. Blue stars are the hottest, yellow are medium hot and red stars are at the cooler end of the spectrum. Matariki is the closest star cluster to our own sun although its still 400 million light years away. This star cluster has been of significance to most cultures for various reasons. To the Ancient Greeks they were known as the Pleiades or the seven divine sisters. To the Chinese they were called mǎo. The cluster is known as Subaru by the Japanese.
Matariki Celebration
Here in Aotearoa/New Zealand the period from 19 June to 11 July is known as Matariki. For Māori in Aotearoa, astronomy was interwoven into all facets of life. Experts would observe the sky, making notes on star and planet movements, the relationship of those stars and planets to the moon and sun, while noting what was happening around them on land and in the oceans, lakes and rivers. All these celestial objects were given Māori names and their stories were woven into the history of the people. This important celestial feature was called Matariki. The rise of Matariki in the winter skies above Aotearoa at dawn is an important time in the Māori calendar, as it signifies the start of the Māori New Year. The first sighting would coincide with the new moon period (dark nights) after mid-June when the nights are longest.
Matariki Public Holiday
From 2022 Aotearoa/New Zealand will mark the significance of Matariki to our cultural identity by holding a new national public holiday. The inaugural public holiday will be on Friday 24 June 2022. "Matariki will be a distinctly New Zealand holiday; a time for reflection and celebration, and our first public holiday that recognises Te Ao Māori," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. "This will be a day to acknowledge our nation's unique, shared identity, and the importance of tikanga Māori. It's going to be something very special, and something uniquely New Zealand.".
The legends of Matariki
Each hapu recognised slightly different numbers of named stars in Matariki (sometimes seven and sometimes nine). The stories around these stars also varied from place to place. In Te Ao Māori, each of the whetū is associated with an aspect of wellbeing and the environment.
Waitī is associated with freshwater bodies and foods from these waters.
The following story is from the Te Papa website:
Waitī and Waitā are Matariki’s twins. Papatūānuku knew that they would be able to care for the smallest and fastest of creatures – because they too know about being a team.
When insects work together, they can they can do amazing things. Ngā pī (bees), for example, pollinate all the flowers so that the plants grow, and we have air to breathe. Ngā pōpokoriki (ants) build huge, complicated tunnel cities underneath the ground, and carry many times their body weight.
When we see these two stars in the sky, we are encouraged to join in and support each other.