Katikati Marks Matariki with Third Annual Dawn Service

Residents of Katikati — tamariki and kaumātua alike — gathered at Te Whareorahi Reserve at the end of Park Road before daybreak last Friday to take part in the community's third annual Matariki dawn service. Those arriving were welcomed along a glowing light trail that led them toward marquees and chairs set up near the waterfront, where braziers burned to represent the stars of Matariki and kept the crowd warm against the winter chill.

Centrepiece of the occasion was a five-metre replica Waka Taua, Te Auo Maui, illuminated in the darkness — the same waka that has since made its home at Western Bay Museum. Because Matariki itself was hidden behind cloud, it was Puanga and Kopū that shone overhead as Ngairo Eruera, speaking on behalf of local hapū Ngāi Tamawhariua, led the whāngai i te hautapu — the ceremonial offering to the stars.

Eruera pointed out and spoke about the stars visible in the sky before offering karakia to the cluster. He then invited the community to call out the names of loved ones who had passed since Matariki last rose. A food offering, steam rising from it, was made to the stars to formally open Te Tau Hou Māori — the Māori New Year. The ceremony drew to a close as the sun climbed the horizon and people settled in to share hāngī together.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).