The Caring Stars of Matariki: Pōhutukawa and Hiwa-i-te-Rangi
 

The Caring Stars of Matariki:                         
Pōhutukawa and Hiwa-i-te-Rangi
Miriama Kamo
Zak Waipara
Scholastic (2026)
Picture book, 32 pages
Paperback
ISBN 978 1 77543 971 4

 

‘Why did Pōua have to die?’ Sam asked.

Grandma kissed his head. ‘Because it was his time,’ she said. ‘Everything and everyone has its time.’

 

Matariki is a time to remember the dead. Out on the windbeaten shore of Te Mata Hāpuku (Birdlings Flat) Sam and Te Rerehua are being comforted by their Grandma, as they recall their late Pōua (Grandfather). They have memories of him catching and drying eels, hunting for agates and teaching them local traditions.

Sitting on a stony bank and looking up at the stars, they listen to Grandma telling them how precious this place is, with its marvellous waves and its view of the stars.

‘It’ll be Matariki soon,’ says Grandma and she tells them of the star Pōhutukawa who guides the dead on their journey to the stars.

They are interrupted by the patupaiarehe (trouble-making fairy folk of Māori tradition) who are hurling their raupō net into the sky. They are trying to capture Pōhutukawa. Why?

The patupaiarehe look defeated, and explain, ‘Because Grandma said that Pōua is with Pōhutukawa.’

Just like the humans, they are missing Pōua and want to bring him back. Grandma is firm with the patupaiarehe and reminds them that when the Matariki cluster of stars rises ‘all those people who have died in the last year will be released into the heavens. Pōhutukawa will guide them.’

‘What then?’

‘Then they will all become stars.’

Sam gets the abashed patupaiarehe to agree never to pull any more stars down.

When Pōhutukawa rises above the horizon a few days later, Grandma, Sam, Rerehua and all the patupaiarehe are waiting on the beach in the darkness. They all join in calling out, ‘Pōua! Pōua!’ as Grandma has taught them, ‘knowing that thousands of people everywhere were calling out the names of their loved ones too.’

The story ends with the mokopuna making their wishes for the year ahead on the star Hiwa-i-te-Rangi, just as the sun rises.

 Once again Miriama Kamo has succeeded in creating a story that conveys the essence of Matariki. She writes simple but powerful prose in the style of the traditional myths and legends. She has succeeded in the challenging feat of writing an appealing account for young readers of the importance of acknowledging the death of a loved one.

‘Memories. They’re just like the waves. Always there, washing up in our minds just when we need them.’

 

As always, Zak Waipara uses dramatic brush-strokes and strong to capture the windswept beauty of the great shingle spit of Te Mata Hāpuku. His pictures of the patupaiarehe are always a delight because he portrays them as truculent teenagers, always keen on mischief. Twinkling diamond symbols float around them as visual reminders of their supernatural powers. His symbolic pattern of the Matariki star cluster , which makes quiet appearances throughout the story, reflects traditional Māori weaving patterns. The pictures complement the story in simplicity and power.

 

With The Caring Stars of Matariki, this series of picture books has achieved its highest level, incorporating traditional beliefs and customs in a lively and interesting story that touches base with some very deep issues.

 

This is the fifth book in the Matariki series by Miriama Kamo and Zak Waipara:

 The Stolen Stars of Matariki (2018)

The Twin Stars of Matariki (2023)

The Kai Stars of Matariki (2024)

The Wild and Windy Stars of Matariki (2025

The Caring Stars of Matariki (2026)

 

Māori language versions of these books are also available:

Ngā Whetu Matariki Whānakotia (2018)

Ko Ngā Whetū Takirua Matariki (2023)

Ko Ngā Whetū Kai o Matariki (2024)

Ko Ngā Whetū Hauhau, Whetū Tarakaka o Matariki (2025

Ko Ngā Whetū Raupī o Matariki (2026)

 

Trevor Agnew  10 June 2026

Review 3842