Dark Skies
Tutepourangi Manihera-Thomson talks about his job as a guide at the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve, and explains the concept of “dark skies” and their importance, particularly in mātauranga Māori.
About this resource
Series: Junior Journal 67 June 2024
Reading year level: 3
Topics: Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve, aurora australis, constellations, dark sky reserves, Māori astronomy, Māori culture, Matariki, Milky Way, moon, Mount Cook, night sky, observatory, planetarium, planets, Pleiades, Rakiura, solar systems, star clusters, star-gazing, stars, Stewart Island, Stonehenge Aotearoa, Subaru, sun, tātai arorangi, Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve, whetū
Dark Skies
Words by Vanessa Trethewey
Tutepourangi Manihera-Thomson talks about his job as a guide at the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve, and explains the concept of “dark skies” and their importance, particularly in mātauranga Māori.
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More from this issue of the Junior Journal
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Junior Journal 67 Level 2 2024
Inside this Junior Journal there are four articles (Dark Skies; The Stars of Matariki; The Matariki Logo; Watching the Moon), one story (Titiro 'Ētū - Star Peeker), and one play (Star Search).
1 of 6The Stars of Matariki
Find out about the stars that make up the Matariki constellation and their relationship to different aspects of te ao Māori.
2 of 6The Matariki Logo
In 2022, a Matariki logo, or tohu, was created to encourage people to think about what Matariki means to them and to Aotearoa New Zealand.
3 of 6Watching the Moon
In Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world, the moon is often used to signal the start of a celebration, for example, Diwali – the Festival of Lights, Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, and Zhong Qui Jie – the Moon Festival.
4 of 6Titiro ‘Ētū – Star Peeker
Harry’s grandfather explains the significance of a family taonga, a titiro ‘ētū, associated with navigating by the stars, and Harry learns how it links to his Cook Islands cultural heritage.
5 of 6Star Search
In this humorous play, a group of astronauts are sent to find a star that has disappeared from its constellation.
6 of 6
