Just don’t plan on viewing Matariki that welcomes the Māori New Year – at this time of the year it is very low on the north eastern horizon just before daylight and is difficult to spot from anywhere in New Zealand. But don’t fret – it is visible for 11 months so just come back to the lodge later when it will be higher in the sky
Matariki is known mostly as the Pleiades (or the Seven Sisters) and is a group of seven prominent stars formed together from a single interstellar gas cloud and has been known and celebrated by many cultures from as far back as 20,000 years as evidenced by the paintings in the Lascaux Caves (and yes Matariki counts two additional stars in the cluster).
In Japan the cluster is known as Subaru – hence the eponymous carmaker’s badge of a group of stars – the number of manufacturers that combined to form Subaru Corporation.
And anyway even if you are not much interested in Matariki and would rather just be out tramping/ skiing in the mountains then the lodge will be the place where it is all happening.
Go to the Lodge Facebook page for current info, and to the club website to make an online lodge booking.
