Make Your Own Wishing Tree 🎄

One of our favourite activities at MOTAT Christmas Lights is our Wishing Trees.

Reading the wishes our visitors have written and hung from our Christmas Trees in the MOTAT Rotunda after a big night of Christmas Lights always puts a smile on our team’s faces.

This year we thought we could help you to make your own Rākau Tuku Wawata!

We have chosen to incorporate a pōhutukawa flower, as it is a well-loved symbol of Aotearoa’s Christmas Holiday Season when the tree’s red blossoms bloom in summertime.

The importance of pōhutukawa are well known throughout te ao Māori, and as they often live for hundreds of years. Even individual trees are venerated and deeply connected to the spirituality and mythology of te ao Māori.

We have made two versions of Ngā Wawata o te Kirihimete, either a black & white version for colouring in, or a colour version for a super quick activity!

Download Templates

Click on colour, or black & white, to print your preference.

Activity Instructions

Prep Time: 5+ minutes

Skill Level: Easy

You Will Need:

Printed Wishing Tree templates
Scissors
Felt pens, crayons, or coloured pencils

Step 1: Choose your template to download and print out, and make sure you select double-sided printing!

Step 2: If you need to, colour in the front, and then cut out your ngā puaka o ngā pōhutukawa on the dotted line – make sure you punch a hole in the stem too

Step 3: Flip over your cut-out flower and write your wish

Step 4: Thread a ribbon onto your ngā Wawata o te Kirihimete, and hang it on your chosen Rākau Tuku Wawata!