This Friday is the first time we will celebrate the rise of Matariki as a nation with a public holiday. If you ask us, it's a perfect time to acquaint yourself with the stars that announce the new year in te ao Māori.

You can see the Matariki star cluster in the sky now. Well, perhaps not right now, depending on what time of day you're reading this, but this is the right time of year.

To get a good view of this constellation, you'll need to get up before dawn. The good news is that the sun comes up late right now so you don't have to get up at an ungodly hour – between 5:30 and 6:30am is perfect. The even better news is that we have some incredible spots to see these stars in the clear winter sky right here in Christchurch.

We recommend getting up early, donning some woolies, filling your themos with hot choccy, and heading into the Port Hills. You want a good view to the north and east, so you'll be looking out to sea off the coast of New Brighton. Mt Pleasant, Scarborough and Godley Head are perfect spots. If you're really keen, you could put on some walking shoes and head to Mount Grey or a high point on the northeast side of Banks Peninsula.

You're looking for a group of seven stars visible with the naked eye (you can see a lot more with a telescope). To find them, start by spotting 'the pot' or Orion's Belt (the bottom three stars of the pot are known as Tautoru) in the east not far above the horizon. A little to the north of there, you'll see a bright orange star – this is Taumata-kuku. Draw an imaginary line between Tautoru and Taumata-kuku, then keep following that line further to the north until you hit a cluster of bright stars. Congratulations! You've found Matariki.