Story: Ranginui – the sky

The moon

The moon

Pākehā say they can see a man on the moon; for Māori, the figure is a woman named Rona. She is said to be holding onto a tree and some water gourds. In this image of the moon you might be able to make out the shape of a tree at bottom right, with an upside-down Rona and her gourds at top left.

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Starry Night Photography
Photograph by Chris Picking

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How to cite this page:

Rāwiri Taonui, 'Ranginui – the sky - The family of light', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/5283/the-moon (accessed 19 March 2024)

Story by Rāwiri Taonui, published 12 Jun 2006