Lunar observations: Hongongoi

5PM: RNZ news "Good evening"

RaHina: Monday. Moon day.
It is not really the 27th of Hongongoi as the RNZ website would have you believe. That name is the second month of the Maori moon calendar. The effort to attach those moon names to the Roman/Gregorian months has been quite successful, although I note that Tainui's official publications carry the transliterations: July being Hurae.

Many Maori publications follow the authority and advice of the Maori Language Commission in regards the calendar. Certainly Matariki has been a success - although so successful that many are celebrating it outside of the proper time, as late as now.

It is Maori Language Week/Te Wiki o te Reo Maori and I had not planned on posting anything specifically - especially as I put on the Maori version of the days of the week before last year's wiki and left that up. The days of the moon however are a different affair.
As a moon it ought to be measured in nights. It is, by my reckoning the 6th night tonight. The start of the Tamatea sequence of the Maori moon phase. The days however may be measured differently - in the Roman calendar. In that case it ought to be the transliterations that are used.

The first motor-mowers of the new year were heard over the weekend. The weeds seem to be growing again now - even if everything else seems dormant. There were birds fighting and frisky behaviour amongst the young human population too over the weekend. Today was the first day I would describe as "fine." Not just clear, but sunny too. Now it's just past 6 o'clock and there is still sunlight - that's a point in the annual cycle - when you can watch the news and it is still light outside.

[UPDATE:
Maori moon nights: - there is some disagreement (the most being around the orderings 10-16 inclusive) but working in the differences leaves us with something like this:

1. (O)Whiro (First night of the month. Night after the new moon. Moon not visible)
2. Tirea (First night moon visible)
3. (O)Hoata
4. Oue(nuku)
5. Okoro
6. Tamatea-tutahi/(A)Ngana
7. Tamatea-turua/Hotu/(Kai)Ariki
8. Tamatea-tutoru/(A)Io
9. Tamatea-tuwha/Whakapa(u)/Pa
10. Huna
11. Ari(roa)
12. Maw(h)aru
13. (O)Hua
14. Atua (Start of full moon phase)
15. (O)Hotu
16. (O)Turu (Full moon)
17. Rakau-Nui (Moon starts waning)
18. Rakau-Matohi
19. Takirau
20. O(h)ik(e/a)
21. Korekore-tutahi/te-whiwhi
22. Korekore-turua/te-rawea
23. Korekore-tuturu/w(h)akapou/piri(-ki-nga-Tangaroa)/Whakapiri
24. Tangaroa-a-Mua
25. Tangaroa-a-Roto
26. Tangaroa-(a-)Kiokio
27. Otane
28. (O)Rongo(nui/mai)
29. Mauri
30. (O)Mutu(whenua)

If night begins at twighlight and ends at sunrise, and if nights are measured by the moon (Hina/Marama) and one night only has one phase/day then we have an alternating 29/30 day system; but it still leaves the issue of how to measure the order of the days - the sun (Ra) days. If the day begins in the darkness before dawn, early enough to make a night observation then the days may be numbered by the moon night that starts it.

Otherwise the seven days of the Roman/Gregorian week are governed by that numbering/naming system and thus may be named as per Maori Language Commission advice. So that seems to be how these things are calculated. Moon dates are tricky though, as the lunar rise and set don't match well sometimes with the point at which the moon becomes new (or full) it may occur when the moon has set at a point near sunrise or sunset. These times mean different things to the different groups that use the lunar calendar.--UPDATE ENDS]