March 08, 2023
Halos gave hint of approaching storm
An expert in traditional Māori knowledge says the ancestors would have been alerted to recent severe weather events.
Rangi Mataamua, Massey University’s professor of Mātauranga Māori, says without anything from the accuracy of MetService forecasters, there were signs something big was coming.
“There were big lunar halos leading into the cyclone. There was a scintilations of the stars. All these signs were happening so we knew a storm was coming in but what a storm it was,” he says.
Professor Maatamua, who’s a nominee for the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year, says the season markers are getting harder to read, possibly becuase of the impact of climate change, but the fact the cicadas are about eight weeks late could indicate a warm autumn.