Yinzer in the Shire

Winter in Wellington can be rather dreary. The days shorten, the wind picks up to the point where shipping containers are thrown into the harbour by nature's force, and there really isn't a whole lot on the social calendar. People have a three day weekend at the beginning of June for the Queen's birthday and the next public holiday isn't til Labour Day at the end of October. Without Christmas and New Year winter is a long, lonely stretch. But there is hope as during this dark time people look to the stars. Matariki marks the Māori new year and is a time for remembering those who have passed and celebrating new life. The festival takes place for approximately a month and is named after a star cluster (the Pleiades) which appears in the sky around mid-winter. Photo by Filip Lolic The lore surrounding the holiday comes from Māori creation myth. In the beginning Ranginui, the sky father, and Papatūānuku, earth mother cleaved to each other tightly leaving ...