Matariki is a cluster of stars that can be seen rising in the morning along the eastern coast of Aotearoa. Its nine most prominent members are named in Māori cosmology; they’re the most visible with the naked eye. If you used a telescope, you’d be able to count more than a thousand! 

Matariki was significant to many cultures across the ancient world. It was known as al-Thurayya by the Arabs, Mutsuraboshi or Subaru by the Japanese, and the Greeks named it the Pleiades. It is referenced in both the Bible and the Quran. 

Because it is a star cluster rather than a constellation like the Southern Cross, all its stars are relatively close to each other. They formed 100 million years ago, when New Zealand had just split away from Australia and dinosaurs still roamed the Earth. They’re almost 50 times younger than our own Sun but will burn out much sooner. Even before its stars go out, Matariki will be no more: over time, the gravity from nearby stars and gas clouds will gently pry the cluster apart and send the eyes of Tāwhirimātea spinning off in different directions through the galaxy. 

In Manawatū, Rangitāne also place significance on Puanga, another blue star, appearing in the sky not far from Matariki, in the constellation of Orion. You might know it by its Arabic name of Rigel. It’s a mere 8 million years old yet is one of the biggest stars in our neighbourhood. There’s no missing it even though it’s twice as far from us as Matariki. If Earth orbited Puanga, the star would be tens – maybe hundreds – of thousands of times brighter than the Sun! 

There’s a lot more cool science stuff to discover about Matariki. Some things you could look into: 

• How long do hot blue stars live? 
• How do star clusters form? 
• There are more cultures for which Matariki is important; how many can you find and where in the world are they? 
• Do any of the stars of Matariki have planets? 
• What do Matariki and Puanga look like through binoculars? 

Ngā whetū – stars have guided, fascinated and inspired mankind throughout history. They feature in our waiata (songs), our kōrero (stories) and our tāonga (our treasures). They feature in designs on a variety of objects – you might have more in your home than you realise! Here are some of the unique objects in the Te Manawa collection that feature stars.