Puanga Celebrations

St John Bosco is having a huge week of celebrations for Puanga.  Here's some writing the children have done in Room 3 about the Puanga festival.  We hope to see you this Thursday night.

Puanga

The seven stars are stars that appear in dawn.  They shine brightly in the night sky. Did you know that In Taranaki we call it Puanga but in other places in New Zealand we call it Matariki.  Maori used to call the New Year Maori New Year.  

In winter it is a time to plant winter crops and make kites and fly kites.  It is also a time to share family stories.  Did you know that when Maori people went in wakes they didn't have a GPS or a map.  They used the seven stars to guide them in the right direction.

There are other ways to say the seven stars.  One of them is the Seven Sisters.  We are going to have a celebration.  It is night.  You can see lots of stars and the Kapa Haka group will do a performance.  We will have a hangi.  I don't know what a hangi tastes like.  

Last week we went to the Puke Ariki museum.  We made a hang.  We make a hole.  In the hole we put veggies and meat.  There was beef, meat, steak, chicken and pork.  The hole was a basket.  In the basket we put meat and veggies and dirt and on the second to last we put sacks on it.  We learnt a star called Beetlejuice.  In the sky we can see it as Orion’s Belt.  Puke Ariki was great!

By Cassie 

Matariki

In Matariki we celebrate Maori New Year.  In dawn at six in the morning we wake up and look out the window and out the window the seven stars will be out shining at you.  The biggest sister will put the little sisters in the right place in the sky.  There are seven sisters.  Only I don’t know the names of them all. 

In Matariki when we celebrate cuddling our family in front of the heater, reading a book with our family.  

By Chloe

Puanga Celebrations

On Thursday, we are having Puanga celebrations at school.  

We are having a hangi at night.  At the Hangi I will stay up.

By Grace

Puanga Celebrations

On Thursday we are having a Puanga celebration at school.  We are having a Hangi at night.

There will be lots of food.

By Travis

Puanga

The mountain is in the way of the Matariki star.  There are seven stars in Matariki.  But we are in New Plymouth.  But we cant see them.

On Thursday we are having a Puanga celebration at our school.  We are having a hangi.  At the hangi there are lots of food like pork and vegetables.

By Sofia

Puanga Celebrations

On Thursday we are having a Puanga celebration at school.  We are having a celebration at night.  It is going to be fun at night because my Mum is coming with me too.

By Georgia

Puanga Celebrations

On Thursday we are having a Puanga celebration at school.  We are having a Hangi at night.

There will be lots of food.

By Hunter

Stars

We are learning about star patterns.  Beetlejuice is red and bright.  Orion’s Belt is 3 stars.  Orion is upside down and the Orion’s belt is on the bottom of the pot.  Puanga is on his foot.

By Bella

Puanga

In Puanga there are seven stars that are in the sky.  The seven stars can light up the sky.  At Puanga we can eat a hangi.  You don’t have to eat it.  

Beetlejuice is below the middles of Orion’s belt.  Puanga is the brightest star in the Maori New Year.

By Cooper

Puanga

We have a feast at Puanga time with lots and lots of food.  We plant crops for winter.  

If you look up at the stars there is a group of seven stars.  They are called the seven sisters.  We find Kaimoana in the sea for Puanga.  We celebrate the Maori New Year.  

By Daisy

Puanga

Puanga is a time when people have feasts.  They bring lots of food. At dawn really really early you can look at the stars and join the dots and make something amazing.  

When it is Maori New Year it is a time to celebrate the star sisters.  You can tell your family amazing stories.

By Nathan

Puanga

If you look up in the sky you will see the seven sisters. But most of Puanga is about seeing our family.

By Briar