Matariki, the Maaori New Year starts tomorrow and celebrations will continue till July 21.
If you and your family are early rises anyway then why not celebrate the new year by heading up to Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill) tomorrow morning for a dawn ceremony. There will be a procession and then a karakia starting at 6am. The stars are still shining brightly at that time so you'll have a great view of Pleiades or the Seven Sisters - Waitā, Tupu-a-nuku, Tupu-a-rangi, Waipuna-a-rangi, Ururangi and Matariki.
The above book is a great resource for explaining Matariki to children.
I've included a couple of other books that are really good too. Most of them are available in Auckland libraries or you can get your own copy on Fishpond or Penguin Books, They all have really beautiful illustrations so a great thing to own!
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| Stories From Our Night Sky |
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| Matariki |
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| The Seven Stars of Matariki |
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