Holidays
Araparoha Day
(April 25) - The day the Kaiteri and Ta'anata landed on New Whakatu on Araparoha from Na Hawaiki. The Kaiteri go restaurant hopping for breakfast and dinner, and also attend recitations, sports events, etc. On holidays, restaurants offer festive smaller portions of food so that the Kaiteri can go from one restaurant to another and eat food at many places.Bright Tehikamaui Festival
This happens once a month when the beings on Araparoha see the large moon, Tehikamaui, appears in full phase, and this makes the night more daylike. The festival is celebrated with white-frosted cookies, which are frosted with a glistening, white frosting. The glistening frosting can also be used to decorate cakes or adapted into a topping for pies. (Reverse idea of my friend Kirimatao).
Matariki Festival
The New Year, when the Matariki rise in the sky. The Kaiteri sing songs and go restaurant hopping.
Waitaha Days
(November 14-December 6) - This is a time to remember what life was like on Kahawaiti and to highlight old handicrafts like:
- Eating traditional foods served in poha kelp food containers.
- Making pingao and kiekie weavings.
- Writing on pukapuka leaves and creating books of pukapuka leaves.
- Singing traditional korihi (birdsong) songs.
- Singing songs of the Hekenga or migration from Kahawaiti to Araparoha/ Tehikamaui.
- Using traditional instruments like wood flutes made out of neinei wood, and pahu drums from hollowed tree trunks.
Fledging
This is a rite of passage, although they are not quite adult yet. They buy a special watersuit so they can still swim, and they parade around in it with their family so everyone can sqwuak and flap their wings. Then they party.
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