Southern Lights

Southern Light

Tama-rereti was interested of the stars he saw at night. One night, he saw stars dancing across the southern sky. He wanted to see where the stars were dancing so he, built a waka from a totara log.  He was chief of his tribe and he took his warriors and sailed away for a long time.  It was cold and very windy.  After a long journey they reached an island. When they came out from a wild storm, suddenly the big waves threw them to the rocks. The waka burned and broke. All of the warriors died except the two old men who were washed up to shore, barely alive.  The warriors who died were also washed up to shore. The two old men found the group of stars called the scorpion’s tail or the southern lights.

The legend explained the dancing lights in the southern sky now called Aurora.

The name “Aurora” comes from the Latin word meaning sunrise or the Roman goddess called Dawn. Aurora is a natural light in the sky, usually of greenish colour but sometimes red or blue.  This happens in the Antarctic pole. In the Southern hemisphere the effect is known as the Aurora Australis or the Southern Lights.  A beautiful and colourful blend of purple, blue, and green lights.  What a beautiful sight!

by: Patrick