How to find Matariki in the morning sky in 2024

Ka puta Matariki, ka rere Whānui, ko te tohu o te tau. 
Matariki appears as Whānui flees; this is the sign of the new year.

A graphic showing the stars and constellations, featuring Matariki, Pareārau, Taumata-kuku, Tautoru, and Puanga

Puanga and the Matariki star cluster appear in our morning sky in midwinter. To many iwi, the rising of Puanga and/or Matariki along with a Tangaroa (waning crescent) phase moon signifies the beginning of the Māori New Year.

To find these stars, look to the east before sunrise in late June and:

  1. Find the three stars of TAUTORU ORION’S BELT
  2. Find the bright star above, this is PUANGA RIGEL
  3. Find TAUMATA-KUKU ALDEBARAN and PAREĀRAU JUPITER in the constellation of Taurus.
  4. Draw a horizontal line going through Tautoru, Taumata-Kuku and Pareārau.
    Matariki is the small cluster of stars that will appear just above the line to the left of Taurus.

Download the PDF guide

Finding Matariki and Puanga
Space Place Finding Matariki Flyer - PDF

Matariki – the stars and their story

Matariki is the Māori name for the spectacular star cluster of stars known as M45 or The Pleiades in other parts of the world. There are more than 1000 stars in the star cluster the Pleiades!

First Quarter

The Māori Phases of the Moon 

Māori, like other Polynesians, measure time by the Moon and a day is counted from sunset to sunset. The Māori lunar calendar is called Maramataka.

Matariki in the night sky

Matariki is a heliacal tradition

The heliacal rising of the stars combined with the sighting of the Moon, marks the beginning of the Māori New Year.

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