Event updates
If the weather is bad, the event will be postponed to Saturday 29 June from 2pm. Future updates will be published here (last updated 27 June).
Nau mai, haere mai Kirikiriroa. Maanawatia a Matariki is back for 2024! The arrival of Matariki is a sign for people gather and celebrate new life, remember those who’ve passed and to plan for the future.
Wrap up warm and rally your whaanau and friends to celebrate the rising of the star cluster Matariki that marks our Maaori New Year - Te Maatahi o te Tau.
Hea (Where): Hamilton Lake Domain
Ina (When): Friday 28 June 2024 from 2pm
Kei te aha (What’s happening): Family-friendly evening filled with live music, entertainment, food, markets and more!
Free bus rides
BUSIT is offering free bus rides to the event from midday on Friday 28 June. Simply tell the driver you are heading to Maanawatia a Matariki at Hamilton Lake and jump on board for free!
Find the best route and timetable here.
An idea, if you're catching the Comet or Orbiter jump off at nearby stops:
- Pembroke Street (near the entrance to the Hamilton Lake).
- Transport Centre - take any Hamilton service that goes here and walk to the lake.
What can I expect?
- Ngaa Maakete (Markets)
- Ngaa mahi a ngaa tamariki (children’s activities)
- Taraka kai (Food trucks)
- Ngaa whakaaturanga ora (Live performances)
Timeline
Opening - Kaumatua & Kapahaka
Zentarge
Mia Downing
Son & Water
Kapahaka – Te Pou o Mangatawhiri
DJ & Lightshow
About Matariki
*Maaori believe that the appearance of Matariki in the morning sky in the mid-winter marks the Maaori New Year, or Te Maatahi o te Tau.
Our tuupuna (ancestors) would look to Matariki for help with their harvesting. When Matariki disappeared in April/May, it was time to preserve crops for the winter season. When it re-appeared in June/July, tuupuna would read the stars to predict the upcoming season – clear and bright stars promised a warm and abundant winter while hazy stars warned of a bleak winter.
Because Maaori follow the Maaori lunar calendar, not the European calendar, the dates for Matariki change every year.
Learn more about Matariki and the cluster of stars.
*Source - Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
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Last updated 6 June 2024