Matariki celebrations and New Zealand winter warmers to add to the calendar – New Zealand Herald

Travel

1 Jun, 2022 05:07 PM4 minutes to read

Greymouth celebrates its midwinter Christmas festival over Matariki. Photo / Rachel Roberts

With less than a month to go until Aotearoa marks its first Matariki as a public holiday, add these whnau-friendly events to your calendar.

Although Matariki has been observed since the first lights of ahi k lit during long winter months, it is finally being recognised across New Zealand with celebrations for all. Matariki is about renewal and acknowledging the changing seasons. It is a time for whnau (family), ko (learning), kai (food) and keeping the homefires burning.

Here are just some of the winter warmers and activities to tempt you outside as the temperature cools.

tepoti Dunedin kicks off the Puaka Matariki Festival on Tuesday 21 June. The citywide programme of events includes performances, workshops and krero on astronomy and wellness concluding Sunday 3 July. koranga (learning) and whnaukataka (community spirit) are the guiding lights of the programme. matarikidunedin.co.nz

For three nights only, Chris Jolly Outdoors will be leading a Matariki Dawn Cruise. The first cruise departs over Lake Taup on June 24 before first light. A chance to welcome the new season and the arrival of the Matariki stars, seats are strictly limited. chrisjolly.rezdy.com

Nelson's Theatre Royale is preparing a magical take on Matariki with a giant puppet show for tamariki. Their Matariki Glow Show features glow-in-the-dark characters and sets which promise to be a highlight for whnau. theatreroyalnelson.co.nz

Join guide Willie Huch on a cultural tour of the Whanganui River. This overnight tour of te Awa will explore its prominence to local lore with waiata and campfire stories of Matariki. Owhango Adventures's guided trip takes place on 24 June. It is suitable for adults and children over five. canoewhanganuiriver.com

Those in search of winter warmers will be delighted by Rotorua's Matariki menu. Matariki Food Trail will lead visitors along highlights of the inaugural Matariki Dish Challenge. Some of New Zealand's best chefs have been asked to use traditional ingredients - from pickled pikopiko to cured Kahawai - to create dishes that convey the spirit of the festival.

The food competition is running from 13 June to 17 July with visitors encouraged to vote for overall best dish. waikatofoodinc.com

Waitomo caves are holding twilight cave tours of their glowworm caverns. With a welcoming powhiri and kawakawa tea, visitors will be able to enjoy the underground cosmos and followed by stargazing. Twilight tours are being led from 25 June to 1 July. There will also be a one-off, underground evening concert on the evening of 2 July, with a Matariki meal. waitomo.com

The popular Wintersteller Astrophotography Competition is running at Alexandra's Central Stories Museum between June 18 and August 24, promising some of the best shots of southern stars and auroral glows in Aotearoa. winterstellar.com

Also in Alexandra, the pre-dawn Matariki celebration is taking place at Pioneer Park on July 3. The family-focused event will let kids look at the skies through telescopes if the weather is clear, and there will also be the chance to take some VR headsets for a spin, to experience the stars as they would have been seen from waka voyages to Aotearoa.

Bay of Islands Matariki Festival runs from 17 June through to the end of July. The six-week celebration in the bays is a chance to try titiro ng whetu (star gazing) on a Dawn Cruise out of Russell. Other events on the schedule include astrophotography and bone carving workshops, guest speakers, and a special Matariki dinner at Russell's Duke of Marlborough Hotel. matarikinz.com

Throughout June and July, the Matariki Tauranga Moana festival will explore a range of ways to observe the Mori New Year with whnau and friends. The theme this year is Tupurangi: Heavenly Treasures, with Tupurangi the star that relates to collecting food from the sky. With a lineup of events celebrating stars, birds and winter fruits through food and performance, activities include cooking classes, a film festival and guest speakers.

Other highlights on the schedule include a workshop to make traditional balms from native plants, a family kite day, and a Matariki village market. mytauranga.co.nz/matariki

On Saturday June 11, Parihaka P will be opening its doors to the public for the Taranaki Punga Festival. As the tradition of the local tangata whenua, "Punga" is celebrated rather than Matariki as a high point of the season. This is followed by Parihaka Puanga Kai Rau Festival on Sunday, inviting visitors to help prepare the P gardens for winter and sample seasonal kai. puanga.com

For more travel inspiration, go to newzealand.com/nz.

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Matariki celebrations and New Zealand winter warmers to add to the calendar - New Zealand Herald