Today we got up at 4.30 to go to the stardome. We were going to learn about the matariki constellation which has been hidden for the month of May and has now come back into view. This marks maori new year, but I’m not sure of the exact dates.
After arriving at the stardome we had to walk up One Tree Hill in the dark and a guide lady showed us lots of interesting stuff at the top with a laser pen. Sadly there was too much cloud and pollution to see matariki.
Here are the girls pretending to be aliens.
Auckland and Skytower
Startled people on our tour.
Then we came back down again and had breakfast before being treated to a show about matariki in the planetarium. It was great, but very tempting to fall asleep inn the reclining chairs.
read more about Matariki here and more about the Maori festival here
Afterwards we went back up One Tree Hill in the daylight.
Dave has a work colleague who lives nearby to we went to theirs for morning tea. After that back home. The grown ups had a nap – don’t know what the children did, then I took them swimming at the local fun pool while Dave found a spider at home.
Girls in bed and asleep by 6.30!
It’s Jane by the way, did you guess?