Matariki, the Māori New Year, is a time to connect with loved ones, reflect on the past, and enjoy quality time together. During the Matariki long weekend, there are plenty of opportunities to create lasting memories with friends and family. In this blog, we explore the joy of spending time together during Matariki by sharing delicious meals, engaging in fun activities at home, and even embarking on renovation projects as a family.
Shared Meals:
Celebrate with culinary delights! Matariki is the perfect occasion to gather around the table and indulge in delicious meals. Consider preparing a festive breakfast with traditional dishes such as rewena bread, kūmara hash browns, or Māori fry bread. For lunch or dinner, a traditional hāngi feast might be out of reach for most, but a roast could be a welcome winter warmer; showcasing meats, vegetables, and stuffing. Enjoy the process of cooking together and relish the flavours of whatever cuisine you and your family most enjoy. We love this recipe for Fry bread: https://maimoa.nz/blogs/news/the-best-fry-bread-recipe
Why not organise a cooking ‘workshop’ with friends and family? You don’t need to be an expert, just search up some ideas and follow the steps together. Choose a Māori-inspired recipe and assign tasks to everyone, from preparing ingredients to cooking and plating. Experiment with dishes like boil-up, seafood dishes, or Māori potato salad. It’s a fun and interactive way to bond while exploring diverse flavours and learning new skills together.
Matariki Crafts:
Channeling creativity at home with craft activities allows everyone to explore their creative side while spending quality time together. Create Matariki-inspired crafts such as star-shaped lanterns, woven flax decorations, or painted celestial artworks. These crafts can be displayed at home as a reminder of the special time spent together during Martariki. Check out our friends from Resene with their inspirational ideas https://www.resene.co.nz/weekendprojects/womans-day/17-matariki-stars.htm
Or if you’d like to try your hand at some weaving we found this craft blog post really helpful to make flax stars (harakeke whetū) for Matariki.
https://lifesbounty.co.nz/2018/07/weaving-a-flax-star-harakeke-whetu-for-matariki/
Family Games:
Family fun and laughter. Matariki is an excellent opportunity to organise a family game night filled with fun and laughter. Choose board games, card games, or even create your own Matariki-themed trivia game. Engaging in friendly competition strengthens bonds and creates memorable moments for everyone involved. And if you want to upsize the fun, you could try these larger format games from the team at Backyard games. https://www.backyardgames.co.nz/
Home Renovation Projects:
Transforming spaces together; for those who enjoy hands-on activities, Matariki can be an ideal time to embark on home renovation projects as a family. Whether it’s repainting a room, rearranging furniture, or creating a Matariki-inspired feature wall, involving everyone in the process fosters teamwork, creativity, and a sense of accomplishment. This could be a great time for a kids bedroom ‘make-over’, which could be as simple and rearranging the furniture or something bigger like painting walls and upgrading bedding and window treatments. The sky is the limit especially when you’re inspired by the stars in the Matariki night sky! https://www.resene.co.nz/homeown/colour-inspiration/170k-matariki-nursery.htm
No matter how you choose to spend your long weekend, Matariki is a time to celebrate togetherness, reflect on the past, and create new memories with friends and family. We recommend doing as much or as little as you’d like this long weekend, it could be sharing meals, engaging in activities at home, taking time for yourself, or embarking on renovation projects. Embrace the spirit of Matariki, may it be filled with love, laughter, rest and meaningful moments that will be cherished for years to come.
