Wanaka Death Cafe

This is an image of the Guardian or Kaitiaki, Pohutakawa - the Death Star in the Matariki cluster!!! Pohutakawa is a Sacred/ Tapu Female Star and she is the star of remembrance. Legend goes that Pohutakawa leads the waka across the sky every night. As it travels across the sky, the Captain, Taramainuku, casts his net gathering the souls of those who have died that day and carries them in the feathers that hang down behind his waka. As the year passes the canoe gets higher and higher in the sky until it dives into the ocean in May. So we can no longer see it in our night sky and we wait for the rising of the waka one month later. This is called The Tangaroa night . The night before Matariki rises Taramainuku releases the souls of the dead from the feathers and casts them into the sky to become stars. This is why at Matariki we gather to remember and name those who have died and to celebrate our relationships and plan for the New Year. I just heard an astrophysicist last week saying we ( our elements ) do become stars when we die!! We look forward to seeing you on Monday at Edgewater for more lively and interesting conversions :)