Day 8 What to do Down Under on a Full Moon

Maybe you could stay up late  tonight, October 8th, and watch the rare tetrad full moon lunar eclipse - and a “blood moon” . The “blood” connotation is due to the colour, which happens because of the way the light refracts – just like a red sunset. This particular one is also known in the Northern Hemisphere as a “Hunter’s Moon”,  the name for the full moon after the Harvest Moon, which is the full moon nearest the September 23 autumnal equinox. This year, the Harvest Moon came on 9 September . That’s why tonight’s moon bears the name Hunter’s Moon. Of course, in the Southern Hemisphere we’ve just has our Spring Equinox, so we don’t tend to refer to this one as the hunters moon. In the Southern Hemisphere, a full moon with Hunter’s Moon characteristics comes in April or May.  This particular full moon eclipse is also the second in a tetrad – four lunar eclipses and exceptionally rare; one was last April, the remaining  two will be  in April and  September next year, 2015.

What has this got to do with travel?  Well, firstly, the best view of the hour-long event is expected for people living in New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific Islands and some parts of Asia.  So many astronomers are travelling our way to view it.  Let’s hope the weather improves! This year the spring equinoxial  gales are perfectly awful with raging, howling winds, late snow, hail the size of marbles and a wind chill factor of far too much. Interspersed with the most glorious calm, sunny days, like yesterday when the Radiance of the Seas sailed into Wellington Harbour. Four seasons in one day happens here a lot around now.

And secondly, if you are a moon lover – or lovers who likes moonlit nights - if you live sufficiently north on the globe, you can count on tonight’s Hunter’s Moon to bring early evening-till-dawn moonlight for the next several nights.  Unfortunately, that means the southern hemisphere will have a shorter moonlit period, but that’s balanced out by daylight saving and longer days.

I expect many folk will be outside tonight watching the eclipse, but if you aren’t down under right now, that’s probably not going to happen for you.

Australia and NZ travel  suggests watching a maiden dance a hula on the sand under a full moon.  So, you could book an island getaway for the next full moon, 7 November.  Beachwalking anywhere under the moon is always beautiful and romantic. 

 Many Maori cultural events as well as legends centre around the moon. Maramataka, the monthly calendars based on the phases of the moon are still common practice in Polynesia, forming the basis of  the cultural life of the community. The Moon tells us the appropriate and less appropriate dates and times for planting, reaping, fishing . Many gardeners, hunters and fishers plan their activities by the moon still. My father, long passed away, always planted vegetables or went fishing  according to the moon calendar prominently displayed on the kitchen door.

 So, if you are planning a trip down under for fishing or hunting – check out the moon calendar to make sure you come at a time you are likely to be most successful. Here’s a Maori lunar calendar: lunar calendar or   you might enjoy Ken Ring 2014 calendar- it is only useful for another couple of months, but I’m sure the new one will be available soon. 

Other things to do when the moon is full. 

Full Moon drumming?

In Australia, as with most cultures, Aborigine have a very strong relationship with the moon and the sun. The difference with Aborigine is that their traditions mostly have stories of a male moon and a female sun.
I love this story: The Yolngu say that Walu, the Sun-woman, lights a small fire each morning, which we see as the dawn. She paints herself with red ochre, some of which spills onto the clouds, creating the sunrise. She then lights a torch and carries it across the sky from east to west, creating daylight. At the end of her journey, as she descends from the sky, some of her ochre paints again rubs off onto the clouds, creating the sunset. She then puts out her torch, and throughout the night travels underground back to her starting camp in the east.

The Yolngu tell that Ngalindi, the Moon-man, was once young and slim (the waxing Moon), but grew fat and lazy (the full Moon). His wives chopped bits off him with their axes (the waning Moon); to escape them he climbed a tall tree towards the Sun, but died from the wounds (the new Moon). After remaining dead for three days, he rose again to repeat the cycle, and continues doing so till this day. The Kuwema people in the Northern Territory say that he grows fat at each full Moon by devouring the spirits of those who disobey the tribal laws. Take a look at something else to do in Aus: 

Plan a holiday around a visit to Broome. From March to October witness a breathtaking natural phenomenon known as Staircase to the Moon. The visual treat is caused by the rising of the full moon reflecting off the exposed mudflats at extremely low tide - creating a beautiful optical illusion of stairs reaching to the moon. It occurs along the coastline at Onslow, Dampier, Cossack, Point Samson Peninsula, Hearson Cove, Port Hedland and Broome, and as it is a natural attraction its visibility varies in strength depending on weather, sunset, moonrise and the tide.Locals celebrate the occasion with Moon markets at Town Beach, offering a sample of the region's diverse flavours. If you are too late this year for the Staircase the Moon, maybe try another of the area's treats - A Camel Safari. P&O Cruises offer a sunset camel safari that really appeals.