Museum of New Zealand

Te Papa Tongarewa

International visitor tickets

Free entry for New Zealanders and people living in New Zealand

Matariki star cluster

Teaching and learning activities: What is Matariki?

Mānawa maiea te putanga o Matariki
Mānawa maiea te ariki o te rangi
Mānawa maiea te mātahi o te tau

Hail the rise of Matariki
Hail the lord of the sky
Hail the New Year

Matariki is a star cluster which appears in the night sky above Aotearoa during mid-winter. According to the Maramataka, the reappearance of Matariki brings the old lunar year to a close and marks the beginning of the new year. In these activities, learn about Matariki, as a star cluster and its relevance here in Aotearoa.

A man looking up towards the starry sky

Activity: What do we already know about Matariki?

Activate prior knowledge about Matariki.

View of conical Mt Taranaki, with a body of water in front of it reflecting the mountain

Activity: When is Matariki?

Consider when Matariki is celebrated and how this is related to the seasonal rhythm of Aotearoa.

Close up of plant leaf with rain droplets on them

Activity: How does Matariki fit in the maramataka?

Explore the maramataka and the ways te taiao can show us signs of the season.

An extreme close-up of someone’s eyeball

Activity: Where did the name Matariki come from?

Tell the pūrākau of Matariki through dramatic storytelling activities.

Bunch of blue optic fibres

Extra links for the extra curious

Go down amazing wormholes with this curated suite of links.