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Story: Tāwhirimātea – the weather

Mist, Rotorua

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Mist, Rotorua

Mist or pukohu settles in the valleys of a forestry block near Rotorua. One tradition describes mist as ‘the soft, warm sighs’ of the earth mother Papatūānuku’s loving bosom, rising from the mountains and valleys as a sign of her love.

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New Zealand Herald

Reference: 8 September 2003

by Alan Gibson

Permission of the New Zealand Herald must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Basil Keane, Tāwhirimātea – the weather – Cold weather, mist and rainbows, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/8290/mist-rotorua (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Basil Keane, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 March 2022.