A Leaf from the Natural History of New Zealand

Time

Time.

The Natives count time by nights, moons, and stars, and instead of distinguishing the days by names, they confer that honor on the nights; different tribes rather vary in their names and order, but there is a general resemblance between them, as will be seen by the following list, in which four different names, in use among the different tribes, are given to each lunar night respectively. The first three names are those of the nights when the moon is invisible:

Po

1. Nonihape kamate, Nonihape, Nonihape, Noniape
2. Takatakaputeikeiraro, Takatakaputei, Takatakaputei, Takatakaputei ngaromuia
3. Witikirawekakitea, Witikiraua, Witikiraua, Witikiraua
4. Mawetu, Ohata, Ohata, Ohiro
5. Tuhahi, Owenguku, Ohiro, Ohawata hetireo
6. Wakapou, Mawetu, Ohowata, Owenguku
7. Hehotama, Tutahi, Tuhahi, Mawetu tamatea
8. He pa, Wakapou, Mawetu, Tamateatuatahi
9. He ari, Pa, Wakapou, Pa tamateawakapa
10. He huna, Ari, Pa, Hari
11. He mowaru, Hua, Ari, Huni
12. He hua, Huna, Huni, Mawaru
13. He atua, Mawaru, Mawaru, He hua
14. He otu, Atua—full moon, Hua, Atua
15. He maure or Mahure, Otu, Atua, Otu
16. He oturu, Mahire, Otu, Oturu
17. He rakaunui, Rakaunui, Oturu, Rakaunui
18. He rakaumatoke, Rakaumatohe, Rakaunui, Rakaumatohe
19. Takirau, Takirau, Rakaumatohe, Takirau
20. Te ohika, Ohika, Takirau, Ohika
21. Korekoretutahi, Korekoretahi, Ohika, Korikorituhahi
22. Korokorowakapou, Korekorewakapou, Tangaroa, Korikori wapou
23. Tangaroa amua, Tangaroa amua, Tangaroa amua, Tangaroa amua
24. He Roto, Roto, Tangaroa a roto, Tangaroa a roto
25. Kiokio, Kiokio, He kiokio, Kiokio
26. He o tane, Otane, Otane, Otane
27. He Rongonui, Rongonui, Rongonui, Rongonui
28. He Mouri, Mouri, Mouri, Mouri

He Oho mutu, Ohomutu, He Oa mutu, O a mutu.

Po

1. He Noniape, invisible
2. He Ngaromuia, he Ohowata
3. Witiki rawa, he tireo
4. He Oenguku
5. He Okoro
6. Tamatea tutahi
7. Tamatea tuarua
8. Tamatea Wakapa
9. He Ari
10. He Hua
11. He Hune
12. He Mawaru
13. He Whiro
14. He Otu
15. He Atua
16. He Turu. He Rakaununui
17. He Matohe
18. He Takirau
19. He Oeke
20. He Korekore, he korehe
21. He Korekorepiri
22. Piritangaroa
23. Tangaroa amua
24. Tangaroa a roto
25. Tangaroa a kiokio
26. He Otane
27. He Rongonui
28. He Mauri
He Mutu

There appears also to have been a kind of division of the nights into decades, as ten nights to the full moon, ten to its disappearing.

The native year commences with the first new moon after the star Puanga is seen in the morning, which is in June:

June, moon 1. Puanga*

July, moon 2. Wakaau* The karaka flowers

Augt. moon 3. Wakapoupoto*Mangere* Kaiwaka*

Sept. moon 4. Te wa taka- pou* i te wai Oetahi.* The Hou flowers, also the Kowai, Rangiora, Kotukutuku; the month for planting the kumara

Oct. moon 5. Te Rima takapoupoto

Novr. moon 6. Ono. The Rewarewa and Rata flower

Decr. moon 7. Witu, Wakakumu; the karaka is ripe

Jany. moon 8. Waru, Uruao*

Feby. moon 9. Iwa iti, Rehua.* This star is the great sign of Summer as it shines during the whole of it. Iwa nui, Matiti.* Te Marama ka pau te wai; the dry month. Ko te pake o matiti

March, moon 10. Ngahuru. Te Kahue rua; the kumara ripe

April, moon 11. Tuma, Ngahuru tuarua, Mahu and Ko te pae nga wawa, Haratua

May, moon 12. Ko tetahi pipiri, Kai waka, Matariki te marua roa,* Patutahi, Watutahi

Moon 13. Tahi ngungu, grumbling month, little food, bad weather, smoky houses, watery eyes, constant quarrels.

N.B.—The names marked with an* are stars.

The signs of the approach of Summer are the flowering of the following trees and plants:

1. The Pikiarero, clematis
2. The Kotukutuku, fuschia
3. The Pukapuka. Syn. with Warangi
4. The Ho
5. The Kowai
6. The Rewarewa, the Rora
7. The Pohutukaua
8. The Rata.

The Winter months are distinguished by the rising of the following stars:

1. Puanga, in May
2. Matariki, in June, and Te ra o Tainui
3. Kopu and Tautoru, in July
4. Wakaau and Mangere, in August.

Matariki shines all the winter, and is therefore called the great Winter star, as Rehua, which shines all the Summer, is called the great summer star.

The sign that Summer has commenced, and that the Kumara are ripe, is the arrival of the two birds of passage, the New Zealand Cuckoos, the Kohaperoa, or Koekoea ( fascialus Forst.) and the beautiful little Pipiwawaroa ( cuculus nitens) which arrive about Christmas, and mark the potatoe harvest; they only remain about six weeks.

The names of the four seasons are:

Ko Toru, Ko Tahi, Ko Takarua, Spring—September, Oct., Nov.

Raumati, Summer—characteristically named from the fall of the leaf, the trees now shedding their old foliage—Dec., Jan., Feb.

Ngahuru, Autumn—March, April, May

Hotoke, Makariri, Winter — June, July, August.

The Summer months are called Waka au nguku, or the season when the sun begins to warm the ground. They are also distinguished by the following names:

Waka au nguku

Waka ahu rangi

Waka ahu Tau

Waka ahu Papa

Waka ahu kerekere tai, tapu ki Hawaiki