Second lunar month is Maruroa, the time when the sun halts in its course northward along the horizon, and turns. Each day it rises a little further southward and each day the nights get a little shorter and the days a little longer.
In the southern sky, Autahi (Canopus) is a most important star, and tapu (sacred): it is seen in the Maruaroa season, at its beginning. In olden times this star was used to foretell the seasons. According to tradition, if its rays extended toward the south it foretold rain and snow, and inclement season; if toward the north a mild season followed.
Like the hands on a clock face, Autahi and Te Punga (the anchor, the Southern Cross) move around the unmoving heart of the southern skies, the South Celestial Pole. In the dawn sky, Te Punga is buried in the south. It anchors the great waka to Papatuanuku (the Earthmother). It is Taki-o-Autahi, a towline to Autahi from the shores of Papatuanuku. As Autahi (Te Ariki o te Tau, the lord of the year), moves ever higher in the sky it tugs at Te Punga. Slowly, the anchor is lifted from its resting place and the great waka begins to move from away from the horizon to sail once again across Te Wainui o Te Ranginui (the great ocean of the Skyfather).
In the bush, ripe berries adorn the Rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum), Tōtara (Podocrpus totara), Nikau palm (Rhopalostylis sapida), Tawari (Ixerba brexiodes), Hinau, (Elaeocarpus dentatus), Tāwiniwini (Gaultheria antipoda) and Kōhia, (Passiflora tetrandra) while the Miro (Prumnopitys ferruginea) berries are ripening.
Trees were put to many uses: the oil extracted from Miro seeds was used for personal grooming, while the bark could be made into watertight vessels. The lacy inner bark of the Houhere, lacebark (Hoheria Populnea) made soft headbands for the people while its dry winged seeds were popular with nesting birds. The orange-red throats of the rata vine held nectar accessible to slender billed honeyeaters such as the Tui and bellbird.
The New Zealand forest has a profusion of tangled growth of ferns, vines and perching plants (epiphytes). Some vines, virtually all of them ferns, grow only below the canopy. Others either start life in the crowns of trees, or grow toward the sunlight up the trunks of other plants..
Shade epiphytes fasten onto the lower parts of tree trucks, and puka (Griselinia lucida) and five-finger (Pseudopanax aroreus) start life on trees or tree ferns before rooting in the ground.
The rata starts life high in the crown of a tree and lowers its vines to the ground where they take root as does kiekie. The bush lawyer uses hooked thorns to clamber up through to the canopy.
The most spectacular of the perching plants are species of lily; Kowharawhara, (Astelia solandri), Kahakaha (Collospermum hastatum) which grow in the humus that accumulates in the crown of trees or on the great limbs of rata, kauri, kahikatea and rimu. In time the epiphytes develop water reservoirs at the base of their dense, drooping leaf tufts. They are flowering at this time of the year, the small translucent green to yellowish brown fruits were taken by kaka, kereru native pigeon) and Maori alike.
He kaka tawari ki Hikurangi, he moki ki te moana
(A kaka feeding on the – tawari berries of Hikuringi is as fat as the moki fish (red snapper) of the ocean)
After raising their young, the adult kaka moult. They were then forced to seek food on the ground and were so fat that they were unable to fly. To escape danger, they had to walk to a tree and then up it, and were easily taken by hand – usually by grasping the wings.
In the South Island both Kaka and Tui were sometimes caught by hand especially after a spell of wet and blusterous weather. They would abandon the high swaying branches to roost in small trees and shrubs sheltered from the wind. The birds could then be shaken them from their perches, and would fall helplessly to the ground. Often, if they weren’t taken by hand, they were speared.
At night, among the forest litter the Brown Kiwi (Apteryx), Tokoeka A. australis (Haast, Fiordland and Stewart Island brown), Great spotted kiwi A. Haast ( South Island) and Little spotted kiwi A. owenii (Kapiti Island, Marlborough Sounds) rustle the fallen leaves while they hunt for grubs and other small insects, building up strength to lay the richest egg of any bird in the world – 60% yolk. It sustains the chick for one week before it begins to forage on its own.
The rivers, the headwaters and the lakes were stocked with a great variety and diversity of eel. Some were and in some areas there were up to five different, separate migrations to and from the sea.
In the Rangitaiki river in June and July, eel fry could be found in large migrating up river, wriggling up the wet and mossy rock-faces, and resting any small pools above the falls. To catch the fry, quantities of fern (Pteris) material was bundled into the pools. The fry took cover in the tangled mats which were then removed and shaken. i
On the forest margins and old garden sites, in hemispherical clusters brown-purple flowers are opening on the branch tips of Five-finger (Pseudopanax aboreus ).
In open spaces near swamps, lakes, riverbeds and estuaries, the white faced heron , (Ardea novaehollandiae) and the Dabchick Podiceps rufopectus) are selecting and preparing nests.
At the coast, various species of shag are nexting,, including Blackfooted shag (Phalacocorax) Black shag (P. carbo), Pied shag (P. varius), the little black shag, and spotted shag (Stictocarbo punctatus).
Korara, Blue penguin(Eudyptula minor the most common NZ penguin, comes ashore to select suitable nesting burrows or crannies in the rocks and lay their eggs.
Insects
Namu, Sandflies (Simuliidae family)
Maori called the sandfly namu believing that the goddess of Death liberated the sandfly, flea and mosquito in Fiordland because she feared humans would want to live in the beautiful area forever. She reasoned that the biting insects would remind people of their frailty and mortality. Sandflies enjoy living where there is plenty of running water and high humidity..
Plants, climbing and perching
Tree ferns
Tree ferns are conspicuous in many NZ forests, playing an important role as pioneers where forest has been cleared, particularly on most south-facing sides. They also establish in canopy gaps opened up by the collapse of old trees.
Many forest birds make use of the tree ferns in building their nests. Wiry roots from their trunks are used as reinforcing in the body of the nest and Cyathea tree ferns are used to make the soft lining.
Mamaku (Ceathea medullaris)
Tallest tree fern. 20m tall. In young plants the old dead fronds hang down untidily but in taller specimens that separate more easily. The young fronds were used for poulticing inflamed nipples and were also scraped and used for drawing boils. The fronds were also boiled and the liquid was drunk to assist discharge of the afterbirth. The hair out skin was peeled off the inner curled frond or korau, and the slimy tissue was either rubbed on wounds or was scraped and applied as a poultice either raw or boiled. It has been used for poisoned hands, swollen feet and sore eyes. The bruised pith was also used as a poultice for swollen fee and sore eyes while the edible pith, applied raw was a first-rate dressing for sores and chafings. The gum was useful in attacks of diarrhoea.
Gully Tree Fern (Cyathea cunninghamii)
More slender than C. medullaris. Likes streams and gullies. 20m tall.
Ponga, Sliver Tree-fern (Cyathea dealbata)
10m tall. Fronds have silvery underside. The pith was used as a poultice for cutaneous eruptions.
Katote, Soft tree fern (Cyathea smithii)
Has a hanging skirt of stick like midribs of dead fronds. 6m tall.
Cyathea colensoi (Cyathea colensoi)
Short trunk lies along ground under leaf litter or sometimes erect. Can be mistaken for young plants.
Wheki (Dicksonia squarosa)
Forms grows with a thick carpet of orange-brown fronds on the ground beneath. 6m tall. Sends out underground stems from its base that turn up to form additional trunks.
Wheki-Ponga (Dicksonia fibrosa)
Entire dead fronds persist on the trunk indefinitely to form extremely thick skirts and entire trunk is enclosed in wiry roots. 6m tall with massive trunks.
(Dicksonia lanata)
Up to 2m tall. The trunk or prostrate stem is slender. Found in kauri forests.
Ferns
Umbrella ferns (Sticherus)
Grow mainly in open habitats and are often early pioneers after fire.
Para, King fern, horseshoe fern (Marattia salicina)
Found in deeply forested gullies. Massive stem is filled with starch which was prepared by the Maori for food. This fern was cultivated by Maori. The ‘horseshoes’ cut from the rhizome were baked or boiled and were a good remedy for diarrhoea.
Mauku, mouku, Hen and chickens fern (Alsplenium bilbiferum)
Develops small plantlets on the upper sides of many but not all fronds. An infusion of the root was used as a wash for skin complaints and sore eyes. New born babies were washed then wrapped in mouku, raurekau and patete (Schefflera digitata).
Paretao, paretau (Asplenium obtusatum)
The root was used for skin eruptions and the fern was also used in vapour baths.
Karerarera, water fern (Azolla filiculoides)
It was chewed for sore mouth or tongue.
Kopakopa (Cardiomanes reniforme)
The leaves were used to heal ulcers.
Piupiu, Gully fern (Pneumatopteris pennigera)
At Whangarei the scraped roots were used as poultices for boils. They were said to be very drawing.
Mosses and Liverworts
Small plants of cool, moist and shady places, where they grow close to the ground. Often form dense cushions or mats that retain water like a sponge. Many species occur as epiphytes, mostly on tree trunks and branches, but others on tree fern trunks and on twigs where they may form conspicuous swaying curtains. Liverworts grow in high rainfall areas. Usually intermingled with lichens and filmy ferns.
Angiangi, kohukohu (Lembophyllum clandestinum)
This moss was steeped in water and applied to the affected parts in venereal disease. It was also used as a diaper in menstruation and the leaves, after being bruised on the hand, were lightly bandaged to a wound to check bleeding.
i. Elson Best, Fishing methods of the Maori, page 94