Rongoā Mauri Healing

15/05/2026

I can feel a build-up of activity around Whauwhaupaku (Pseudopanax arboreus). The unripe fruit have been visible for a couple of months now, and they must finally be ripening because the kererū have made their appearance this week.

There is so much movement gathering around this rākau. Is it the ripening fruit that calls? Is it the presence of the kererū themselves? Or is it the return of Puanga and Rehua in the winter skies, stirring something through Whauwhaupaku?

Perhaps it is all of these things — a frequency, a sound, a vibration moving between star, plant, manu, and whenua. These are the tohu I love to sit with, and the mātauranga I long to understand more deeply.

Whauwhaupaku has a whakapapa that reaches beyond the whenua and into the stars. It is an offspring from two supergiant stars: Rehua, known as Antares in Scorpio, and Puanga, known as Rigel in Orion.

Rehua is a beacon in the winter night sky, sitting in the heart of the Scorpion. Puanga is a blue supergiant, rising in the winter morning sky, heralding new beginnings and the turning of the season.

I have been sitting with this pūrākau for a few years now. Each year, I receive a new insight, or someone shares something that deepens my understanding. I often think about the kererū and how they know the fruit is here. Does the fruit have a frequency? Does something within the rākau call to them?

Years ago, one of my kaupapa was to bring larger manu back into our backyard. For the last two years, Whauwhaupaku has been the rākau fulfilling that vision.

The kererū have returned.

Manu are messengers. They are tohu. So this season, I feel called to sit with the kererū, listen more deeply, and see what transpires.

What does whauwhaupaku look like where you are? Share an image. I'd love to see them.

*** If this way of learning speaks to you — sitting with rākau, listening to tohu, and allowing te taiao to reveal its mātauranga — Mauri Kura begins next month. More information is available on my website ***

Joanne Hakaraia

13/05/2026

You do not have to force your healing.
Sometimes the deepest shift begins when the body finally feels safe enough to soften.

Healing is not always a breakthrough.
Sometimes it is a breath, a pause, a return to self, a sunset.

Isn't that right Pūhā?

06/05/2026

A Rongoā Mauri Trail with these wonderful wāhine. I never know what's going to happen on a trail but it's always unique to the roopū and individual participants. Join us on a trail, the first Sunday of the month. Link in comments.

23/04/2026

Te Wao Nui ā Tiriwa (Waitākere Ranges) - Please sign the petition before 25th April whānau xx

The Waitakere Ranges are precious.  They provide Auckland with fresh air and clean water.  They provide us with serenity and artistic inspiration.  They have been described as “the lungs of Tamaki Makaurau” and Te Wao Nui o Tiriwa is a very effective sequesterer of carbon.  T...

23/04/2026

MINGIMINGI Leucopogon fasciculatus. A wonderful plant to have in your backyard. As a rongoā it supports the lungs by opening the airways. It’s great for coughs and colds. Make a tea and add kūmarahou to break up mucus, great combination. They grow well together, work well together. This plant is part of my Rongoā in my Backyard series.. If you’re interested in learning more about rongoā come along to one of my workshops. We’ll go over the plants growing in my backyard and what we make for our community.

22/04/2026

Tātarāmoa- Rubus parvis. We would probably use this plant every week so we need to grow it. We have at least three bushes growing around our whare. It’s regularly harvested so it won’t get out of hand like Tātarāmoa usually does. It’s such an important rongoā for these times as it helps to calm the mind and relax the nervous system. I’ll be sharing about this plant and more in my upcoming rongoā workshops being held the first Saturday of every month. Check out our website if you’re interested www.rongoamauri.com

07/04/2026

If someone is on medication and they want rongoā there’s a lot to consider especially if the rongoā is going to compromise their situation. Keeping safe is paramount. There are other ways of healing and supporting physical ailments and I certainly suggest them with my clients To be guided by someone to gently go to the source of the condition and heal the trauma or experience, is rongoā. You can immerse yourself in the mauri of plants, without ingesting, and it will reveal to you what lies heavy. Once you see it sometimes thats all that needs to happen.

11/02/2026

I planted these Kūmarahou six months ago and I’ve just done my first harvest. The leaves are vibrant at this time of year. Perfect timing for this transitional period as we move into a new season. It’s a busy time of the month with cosmic events such as equinox and eclipses occurring. We are in a transitional period as we move into a new season. This can have a shift on the body if we’re not prepared for it. It’s a good time to strengthen the immune system and prepare it for the cooler weather coming. Kūmarahou is a wonderful rongoā to drink during a transitional phase because of its bitterness. It supports digestion and will help detox the body and release mucus from the lungs. It wakes the body and gives it a gentle wiri, vibrational nourishment. I harvest in small batches. If this kōrero resonates for you, it is now available through our online store as a tincture or tea. If you’re interested in learning more about rongoā come along to one of my workshops. We’ll go over the plants growing in my backyard and what we make for our community. www.rongoamauri.com

04/02/2026

HOUHERE ~ I'm finally seeing an abundance of bees and other insects. Is this why you flowered so early in my garden?

I noticed my houhere flowering earlier than expected this year, and prolifically. Trees respond to conditions. Light, moisture, warmth, and subtle environmental shifts all play a part in when a plant chooses to flower.

Early flowering has long been read as a tohu, not a prediction, but a signal inviting us to observe more closely. Sometimes a tree offers nourishment early to support life ahead of change. There is information in the abundance of bloom. A bundle of light codes from the sun that we can tune into.

Talking about the sun, we have been having a considerable amount of solar flares recently and they can have a profound affect on our body. If you have been feeling tired and not sure why, check to see if there has been a solar flare. M class, X class and CME flares are the main ones that I can feel in my body. They can also cause havoc on technology, slow wifi etc. Salt baths(seawater is better), being in the ngahere to recalibrate will minimise the effects.

Please feel free to share your experiences.

Joanne Hakaraia

24/01/2026

Searching for a plant is exciting. The frequency is high with anticipation. When the kaupapa is set and the karanga is in motion you can feel the taiao calling, like a magnet. Surrender to Nature and allow it to draw you to it. All internal chatter ceases, heart is open and spiritual senses are heightened. Love this feeling. You can feel the pull of the kaupapa when you’re silent. And then you feel the mauri change when you’re near. I am a child in awe of the magic of Nature.