Tuhoe Pipiri All things of the earth are contracted, owing to the cold, as also man.
Te Tahi o Pipiri (the first of Pipiri)
Matahi o te tau (first of the season)
At the beginning of the Maori New Year the Milky Way lies along the horizon.
Kia marama koe kit e kete a Tane
I mauria atu nei hei tohu mo tona matua
Tataitia ra, tiwhaia I runga ra
Ki Autahi e, Ki a Puanga raia
Ki a Takurua ra
Ringia i te kete ko Te Ika-o-te-rangi
Ka nako i runga nei
Be ye clear as to the receptacle of Tane, conveyed by him as a token for his parent; arranged and dotted on high were Canopus, Rigel, and Sirius. The Milky Way was poured out from the receptacle, and now adorns the firmament. (Elsdon Best, Forest lore of the Maori, page 34)
In some areas the Maori year commences with the rising of Rigel (Puanga).
Saltwater fish
Blue Moki (trumpeter family)
More abundant south of East Cape to depth of 100m. Like rocky, weedy areas but move into sheltered bays in sanding areas between rocks to feed Adults found in more open areas. Spawning in winter off Gisborne coast.
Sand flounder, diamond flounder, dab
Widespread, most prolific in South Island and Northland bays. Estuarine to 100m. Spawning in winter and spring. Taken in set nets or beach seining. Can be speared at night with lights.
Pioke, Rig, spotted dogfish, gummy shark, smooth hound, lemon fish (sharklike)
Common around NZ. Adults migrate inshore during spring and summer to broad, shallow bays. Migrate out to cooler water in winter. Taken in set nets in summer. Firm flesh which does not flake easily.
Sprat
Most common in South Island waters. Shoal near the surface in summer. During winter move inshore to spawn and are common in estuaries, bays and harbours.
Hapuku, groper
Throughout NZ. Shallow inshore reefs. Juveniles swim into shallow water and over flat bottoms in summer. Migratory and spawn in winter. Best baked.
Migratory birds
White-fronted Tern (Sterna striata)
The White-fronted Tern is the most common NZ tern, inhabiting waters around the coasts. It is often seen perched on the railings of wharfs, coastal rocks and sandy beaches.
In May or June, after nesting many young birds and a few adults migrate across the Tasman Sea to feed around the coasts of Tasmania and New South Wales. They do not nest there, and return to NZ in spring.
New Zealand Kingfisher (Halcyon sancta vegans)
In cold winter months when insect food becomes scarce inland, the birds tend to move to milder coastal regions where they feed on mud crabs and small fish from tidal pools.
Freshwater fish
Piharau or kanakana –Lamprey (Geotria australis)
Adult migrates upstream in winter and spring; secretive mostly lying hidden amongst stream-bed boulders or beneath overhung banks while developing sexual maturity (takes 14-16 months); does not feed and becomes very obese. Lays many eggs. Lava moves downstream and after 4 or five years returns to sea in winter. Returns after another 3-4 years.
Black flounder (Rhombosolea retiaria)
Found up to 250km inland. Usually seen in river estuaries in lowland, brackish lakes, or in quietly flowing sandy pools and backwaters in low elevation rivers but sometimes in swift rivers and gravel bottoms. Migrates to sea to spawn, probably in winter; young migrate into river estuaries during spring.
Yellowbelly flounder (Rhomboselea leporina)
Seldom far from sea. Only in river estuaries and lowland, brackish lakes, usually on sandy substrates… Still supports significant fishery. Spawn offshore in winter and spring and migrate inshore for summer and autumn.
Other birds
Bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus)
Swamp dwelling. Catches eels, frogs and freshwater crayfish and insects. Mating season from June to Feb. Male booms during mating season.
Other animals
Kiore, Pacific rat (Rattus exulans)
Occurs in mainland Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines and many islands of the Pacific as well as NZ. Bought to NZ for food as protein source. It has been implicated in the near or total extinction of species of flightless beetles, giant weta, land snails, frogs, lizards, tuatara, small seabirds, landbirds and bats possibly by eating their food source – fruit.
Once fattened on a diet of of berries and other vegetarian fare, especially Miro – the flavour of which permeated the animal – the kiore was considered a delicacy by Maori. The rats became very fat in the berry season and they were trapped. They were plucked, grilled and preservedin the fat as huahua like pigeons. DNA comparison of populations of kiore both here and in the islands indicate that the Maori most probably came from the Cook and Society islands.
Often kiore were skinned and their pelt convertedinto fine kakahu (cloaks).
Plants
Higher altitude forest trees and shrubs in flower or fruit
Podocarp forests covered the higher altitudes. rimu, kahikatea, miro, mataī and tōtara. Podocarp trees boast a lineage that stretches back to the time when New Zealand was part of the super continent of Gondwana. They can still be found in some parts of the North Island- and at the bottom of NZ in Southland. The largest podocarp forests are on the West Coast of the South Island.
.Podocarp forests are a mixture of tall podocarps and smaller trees with an understorey of shrubs, plants and ferns and soil and climate conditions play a major role in determining which species are the most dominant . The best known are rimu, kahikatea, miro, mataī and tōtara.
In Southland, Totara ,(up to 30 mtrs in height),grows closest to the coast, on almost pure sand. As the soil nutrient levels increase, Mataï and Rimu appear. With Kahikatea ,(up to 60mtrs in height),on the wetter sites.
Although they belong to the conifer family which reproduces using cones, podocarps spread their seeds through berries which are transported by being passed through birds. Because of the abundant range of fruits, podocarp forests also support larger communities of insects and birds such as bellbird and tui .
Podocarp forests
Occasionally dotted throughout the low-land agricultural landscape are areas of native podocarp-hardwood forest. These show us what much of the region would have once looked like.
Kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides)
The kahikatea or white pine is New Zealand’s tallest native tree reaching up to 60 metres high. Black seeds, produced in autumn at the end of a succulent red stem, are popular with wood pigeon (kūkupa or kererū), kākā and tūī. Kahikatea is one of the most reduced forest types in New Zealand, once dominating in lowland swamp areas.
Miro (Prumnopitys ferrugineus)
Growing up to 25 metres high, the Miro bears pinkish-purple fruit especially in autumn to early winter, which is a favourite food of kākā and wood pigeons.
Mataī (Prumnopitys taxifolia)
Bees collect pollen from the small yellow catkins in October and November while the round blue-black fruit is enjoyed by kākā and wood pigeons. Although quite slimy the fruit are sweet and were eaten by early Māori.
Tōtara (Podocarpus totara)
Tōtara grow up to 30 metres tall, with massive trunks. They were used by the Māori for canoes and carving. It dominates on some sandy coastal areas such as Otatara.
Other plants of this season include:
Kohekohe (Dysoxylum spectabile)
15m tall. The hanging inflorescences are produced on the trucks and branches, often in great abundance. The flowers are white and waxy, and open in May or June. The seed capsules develop slowly for about a year and come to look like hanging clusters of large green grapes. They become dry and brown and eventually split open to reveal 3 large seeds, each enclosed by a bright orange to red fleshy structure. The larger native birds eat this flesh and the seeds are scattered in the process.
The young bark is said to contain a bitter tonic like quinine. The leaves are also bitter and an infusion made from leaves was sometimes used for stomach-ache. A decoction of leaves and bark relieved coughing. The astringent red pulp was said to relieve symptoms of tuburculosis. The steam arising from an infusion of leaves in boiling water was used for colds. The liquid was drunk for haemorrhage and female disorders, gargled for sore throats, used as a wash for boils or gonorrhoea. It was used to cure convulsions caused by Karaka poisoning. A decoction of the bark, chewed with water, was applied to the breast to stop the flow of milk. A decoction of kohekohe bark, manakura bark (melicytus micranthus), puawanaga vine (Clematis paniculata) korare stalk (Phormium tenax?) and kahikatoa leaves (Leptospermum scoparium) was taken three times a day before meals for femaile haemorrhage, bleeding piles, general blood disorders, kidney troubles and skin eruptions. A decoction containing kohekohe bark and kareao roots (Ripogonum scadens) was taken three times a day before meals for venereal diseases.
Rohutu (Neomyrtus pedunculata)
Up to 6m. Flowers Berries hang from twigs, mostly bright yellow orange but sometimes yellow or red, ripening through autumn and into winter
Mountain Mahoe (Melicytus lanceolatus)
A shrub to small tree up to 5m tall. Flowers are purplish. Berries are dark purple. Flowering is from early winter to early summer. The berries ripen from mid-winter to late summer.
Houhere, Lacebark (Hoheria populnea)
Winged seeds in late autumn and winter. Up to 10m. Bark was used to reduce the mucus flow for people suffering from colds. The bark was cut into strips and soaked in cold water for two days until a thick jelly formed which was used by old people to bathe weak and sore eyes. The inner bark was mixed with the finely cut butts of flax leaves and the liquid applied to burns.
Epiphytes trees and shrubs
These plants actually grow on other plants.
Puka, Shining Broadleaf (Griselinia lucida)
Name Puka is applied to several unrelated species, notably the Meryta sinclarii. Sends a root to the ground that presses close to the bark of the tree. Near the top the girdling roots develop and encircle the supporting trunk several times to firmly anchor the puka. Found in lowland forests throughout the country but more in the north. Up to 8m tall. Berries are dark purple, ripening through the following summer, autumn and winter. The gum of the trunk was chewed as a remedy for long-standing stomach trouble.
Grasses
(Astelia banksii)
The flowers are pale greenish cream and the berries are at first bright green, then whitish, and when ripe are partly or completely magenta. Flowering is through autumn into winter and berries can be found at most times of the year.
Mara (gardens)
In the north of Aotearoa, Matariki (the Pleiades star cluster), Tautoru (the Belt of Orion), Puanga (Rigel)and Whakaahu (Castor and Pollux) were stars that were used to fortell the coming season. Matariki, Tautoru and Puanga all rise in the dawn of the Maori New Year, in early June. Whakaahu rises later, at the beginning of spring.
When Matariki rises, the planting of seed in the earth commences, and food supplies of land and sea abound.
“Nga kai a Matariki nana I ao ake ki runga”
The foods of Matariki, by him brought forth (Elsdon Best, Maori Agriculture, Page 215
In the South Island the planting and gathering of the taumatua (mara tautane, sacred kumara garden) was the province of special tohunga (priestly experts). The annual meeting of tohunga was held in the whare purakaunui at the rising of the star Puaka (Puanga). They would consecrate the kumara gardens in spring.