Audio description content. Maramataka is the maori lunar calendar. Displayed here as a rotatable disc one meter in diameter, the outer third of the disc is divided into slices, numbered from one to thirty in clockwise order. Each numbered section shows a photograph of the moon, showing its phase and the name of that phase in maori, along with a few sentences about the characteristics of that phase. Segments are coloured green, blue, yellow, orange or grey, denoting times of high or low energy in green or grey, and rest or activity in yellow or blue. For example, lunar day number 23 is grey, shows the moon as Tangaroa-a-mua, two thirds in darkness, a waning moon. The text declares “a good day for eeling, fishing, and planting food, and a great day for completing your chores”. Further around the disc, lunar day number 27 is orange and shows the moon almost at full dark. The title for this phase is Otane, and describes a good day for fishing, eeling and crayfishing. Planting is moderate. A day of high energy, schedule gatherings around this time.

Panel text content. In Te Ao Maori, the phases of the moon measure the rhythms of daily life. The maori calendar is maramataka – the turning of the moon. Maramataka were traditionally passed down orally from generation to generation within iwi, hapu and whanau. Because of different geographic and climactic conditions, maramataka varied from iwi to iwi across aotearoa. Maramataka divides the year into months, with each night in the month given a name. It guided decisions on gardening, harvesting, fising, celebrations, rituals, hui, travel and more. It is about doing the right activation at the right time, the right way to create productivity, balance and abundance. Still in use today, more and more people are reconnecting with this knowledge passed down from our tupuna to help guide their daily lives and activities.

Audio description content. To the right of the fire exit is a large close-up photograph of the full moon as viewed by the naked eye.