Ngā tohu o te Kōanga

Kōanga is here - Spring has arrived!

My kumarahou is flowering magnificently this year, as you can see from the photos, but it’s been a stop/start beginning for Spring this year. At one stage it looked like the Kumarahou was going to flower extra early, and then it stopped growing, then started again, stopped again, and now is flowering in full magnificence.

It’s been a bit like somebody who really doesn’t want to get out of bed in the morning, but once they finally do they really get on with what has to be done!

So, with that, I’m cautiously expecting a good growing season, but one which will have its challenges as the plants respond to an uncertain environment. Here in the BOP, the water table seems a little down so it does mean I might have to start watering early If I’m going to have a good garden this year. As things are unsettled, it’s more important than ever to closely watch te taiao.

I heard my first Pipiwharauroa (shining cuckoo) two weekends ago at Aongatete Lodge, so kōanga really has started. The flowering of the kumarahou and arrival of the Pipiwharauroa are two traditional tohu of Te Āo Māori that the seasons are shifting and Spring has begun.

Spring is the season when hope is strongest; we remember renewal and rebirth after the cold darkness of winter and the low energy and mood that can bring.

As the energy of the whenua lifts and brings forth new life in Kōanga, so too does our own. We can use this energy to help us with new inspiration and creativity for mahi, projects or problem-solving in our lives. It’s a time of possibility, a time of bringing dreams into reality, and for me, a time of bringing renewed vision into the world I’m part of creating.

Ngā mihi nui o te wā,

Pā