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July 2023
Kia ora!
Having spent practically four decades of my life living in various places throughout North America and even Europe, wintertime in the southern hemisphere is a new experience to me. It’s uncanny to see pictures of family and friends back home enjoying a hot summer while being in the middle of the opposite season. Mind you, I’m not complaining – minus the occasional unexpected outpourings of weather, we’ve been enjoying winter here – it simply will take a while to mentally reconcile the differences of living in another half of the globe.
Being surrounded by short winter days and long winter nights, my mind naturally goes to all the winter seasons I lived through in the States, seasons that are filled with public holiday after holiday after holiday. Because of this, I’m actually quite grateful for Matariki, the Māori New Year, which is the newest addition to public holidays in New Zealand. In my bones, it’s surprisingly comforting to mark a new year in the depths of winter, and because of that, I’m grateful for Matariki which oddly makes winter here feel more “normal” to me. If this tradition is new to you, I’m looking forward to giving you a small introduction to it and sharing resources where you can learn more.
As always, feel free to reach out if there is a particular topic you’d like to hear more about. We’re here to help.
Elizabeth
Newsletter Editor
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This month, we’re sharing:
- Matariki, a new year tradition in the southern hemisphere
- The Redwoods in Rotorua – Whakarewarewa Forest
- Local Lingo: Cabinet Food & Bench
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Matariki, a new year tradition in the southern hemisphere
While we’re all quite familiar with the new year based on the Gregorian calendar and the celebrations that surround it, and possibly even the lunar new year that is marked all throughout Asia, tangata whenua (indigenous people) of Aotearoa New Zealand have a new year tradition as well.
Matariki is the Māori name for a cluster of stars that is known by many different names around the world (Pleiades, Seven Sisters, Subaru, Makali’i, and more). Depending on where you are in the country, this constellation appears differently – or not at all – and even on different dates, so there are differences between iwi (tribes) on the number of stars recognized (or even a different star altogether) as well as the time period it is observed. Nonetheless, the overarching meaning is the same: these stars disappear in May/June, signifying the end of harvest and that it’s time to rest, and then rise again about a calendar month later in late June to early July, signaling the beginning of a new year.
Even though Māori have always observed Matariki – which is based on their lunar calendar – its practice dwindled after the arrival of Europeans, started to make a comeback in the early 2000’s, and then had its first observance as a public holiday last year. While Māori and those connected to te ao Māori (the Māori worldview) are more likely to practice it as a sombre occasion when they traditionally remember those who have passed away, Matariki is also for celebrating the present and looking to the future, for focusing on whānau (extended family, family by choice) and community.
This year, Matariki will be officially recognized on Friday, the 14th of July.
Fun fact: the calendar date for the holiday shifts every year to align with the Māori lunar calendar and will always be on a Friday. While this may not be a perfect interpretation, I see it as one of the many helpful ways to introduce people such as myself to its long-standing observation and the traditions surrounding it. Because the meaning of Matariki can differ between people, you’ll find the date (or even week) observed in various ways. As Dr. Dan Hikuroa says in his position as culture commissioner for the NZ National Commission for UNESCO, “…there is no right or wrong way to celebrate…[it’s] up to the different folks to decide for them what is appropriate.”
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Last year, we saw signs for a Matariki event being held in our city and decided to attend. Even though it was cold (and a little damp later on), it was lovely to be surrounded by community as well as watch performances of all kinds. This year, we’re planning on gathering with friends and sharing a special meal and will likely take part in the quiet introspection that comes with looking at the past, naming what we’re grateful for in the present, and dreaming up plans for the future as a whānau.
Related links:
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The Redwoods in Rotorua – Whakarewarewa Forest
Do you like being in nature and surrounded by trees? How about any kind of level of mountain biking? Maybe horse riding is your thing? Or perhaps you prefer relaxing and having some good eats and drinks? Look no further: the Redwoods Whakarewarewa Forest in Rotorua is perfect for doing all this and more.
As a born and raised Californian who is quite familiar with the giant sequoia trees native to my home state, I was floored to find out that there is an entire California redwood forest in Rotorua – I had a hard time believing it until I got a chance to see it with my own eyes. Even though the trees are smaller because it’s a much more youthful forest, it’s always inspiring to be surrounded by these trees, or really any major grove of trees at all.
Originally starting out as Māori land, the forest was quickly cleared by European settlers for farmland and timber. Because native trees grow very slowly (200-300 years to mature), the government started planting trees from around the world to see which ones would be best suited for commercial use, and redwoods were one of the many tested species. Nowadays, radiata pine is the main tree that is grown and harvested in the area while the redwoods and other experimental groves are protected areas to be enjoyed for free by the public.
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While we do all sorts of different things when we visit the Whakarewarewa Forest, we often go mountain biking (it has truly world class trails) or hiking, or both. Sometimes I hang up a hammock near the car park to read a book while my partner goes on a much more intense ride, and other times we tend to end our days with a private soak in one of the hot springs for hire. You could easily spend half or even a whole day exploring the forest and barely scratch the surface of things to see and do. I hope you get a chance to visit (again) sooner than later!
Looking for more?
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For more frequent updates on global relocation and life in New Zealand:
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Local Lingo: Cabinet Food & Bench
When you walk into a cafe and see food enclosed in glass or a similarly clear material, what do you call this enclosure? Some parts of the world refer to these as display cases (i.e. “I’ll have that sandwich in the display”), and some parts of the world call them display cabinets or refers to the sustenance inside as cabinet food (i.e. “I’d like the cupcake in the cabinet”).
s a public service announcement to those who are used to the former term and would rather not be as confused as I was when initially trying to order food in a shop, please note that New Zealand uses the latter.
Example:
“This bakery has the best pies!”
“That sounds yum. Let’s pop in and see what’s in the cabinet”
To continue on with the theme of preparing you to be less confused when visiting a shop selling good eats: a kitchen bench or simply the word bench by itself refers to a countertop or counter (also known as a worktop, benchtop, kitchen countertop and variations, or bunker in various parts of the English-speaking world).
Example:
*Customer places an order at a bakery*
“All good, you can pick it up at the bench over there when it’s ready”
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If you think any part of this newsletter would be helpful to someone else in your circle, please feel free to pass it along.
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