Matariki has a special connection to gardens and the various foods that grow in the earth. In particular the star Tipuānuku determines the bounty of foods such as kūmara and the name Tipuānuku means to grow in the ground. As Matariki sets in the western sky at dusk around the month of May, the harvesting of the gardens comes to an end and winter approaches. This is the meaning of the proverb:
Hauhake tū, ka tō Matariki
Lifting of the crops begins when Matariki sets
BYOP
