Heritage et AL

An account of a voyage in search of La Perouse: undertaken by order of the Constituent Assembly of France, and performed in the years 1791, 1792, and 1793 in the Recherche and Esperance, ships of war, under the command of Rear-Admiral Bruni D'Entrecasteaux. Ref:  An account of a voyage in search of La Perouse, title page, M. Labillardiere,   1800, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 1800 LABI Atlas. This three volume set was published in 1800. The first two volumes were acquired by the Leys Institute Library  Ponsonby  in 1905 and some decades later transferred to Sir George Grey Special Collections. Volume three, an atlas including many beautiful engraved illustrations, was recently purchased, thus completing the set over a century later.

Matariki  is a very important time of the year, which is celebrated throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand. The heliacal rising of the Pleiades or the Matariki star cluster on the eastern horizon at dawn marks the start of the Māori New Year. This occurs during the colder months of the year, usually around May or June and soon after the shortest day. Ref: Frederick George Radcliffe, Thule by moonlight, Stewart Island, Tourist Series 1181, no date, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 36-R1402 Only 7 of the 500 stars are visible in Aotearoa and remain in the sky until March, when they 'disappear' for two months, before rising again a few months later. The stars are seen at different times around the world and many other cultures attach their own significance and meaning to this most beautiful cluster of stars. For example, in Samoa, Matariki is known as Matali‘i and becomes visible in October each year.