Te Rerehua and her brother Sam love staying with their Grandma and Pōua in their little house next to a big lake named Te Roto o Wairewa.
Some people call this place Birdling’s Flat, but it’s also called Te Mata Hāpuku. Waves smash across the grey-stoned beach and orange cliffs, not far from a sprinkling of seaside baches and homes.
Grandma is happy to be far from any shops, as she tells her grandchildren,
“Who needs shops?” says Grandma. “The kai is all around us!”
Te Roto o Wairewa has all that they need swimming beneath its dark surface.
One night Te Rerehua and Sam set out with their grandparents, torches in hand. They are going eel hunting in preparation for the upcoming Matariki Feast.
On the way and as they catch their kai, they learn about Matariki and the two special stars to be celebrated that year. Tupuānuku and Tupuārangi. Grandma explains the origin of the star’s names and then what they will do with all the eels they catch.
But someone else is watching their hard mahi and decide to make the most of it.
The third in collaboration with illustrator Zak Waipara, Miriama Kamo has penned another Matariki story for children. This time it focuses on food collected for this special time of the year in Aotearoa New Zealand.
In full colour and with over a dozen double-page spreads, readers learn about two of the special stars in the Matariki Cluster. Siblings Te Rerehua and Sam experience eeling, but the real excitement happens when something happens to all of their hard work. Finding the culprits is another thrilling experience for the children and the reader, all while adding to the wonder of Matariki.
The feast itself portrays many of the traditional foods eaten during this celebration, helping young readers imagine it themselves.
Author – Miriamo Kamo
Illustrator – Zak Waipara
Picture Book
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(2024, Scholastic NZ, Aotearoa New Zealand, Birdling’s Flat, Tupuānuku, Tupuārangi, Māori Gods, Grandparents, Te Roto o Wairewa, Lake, Matariki Cluster, Patupaiarehe, Eeling, Feast, Stars, Celebration, Series)