Haiku are usually three lines long, should be able to be said in one breath, are written in the present tense, capture a moment, should contain at least one of the five senses, use everyday language and no adjectives, and are about a sense of place within the cycle of the seasons.
"There's much more to them than this, but these are good starting places for anyone new to haiku," Sandra says. "Perhaps the biggest mistake by newcomers is writing a haiku as though it were Western poetry with generalisations, similes and poetic language, where things are told and not shown.
"Haiku are pared back so every word has to earn its place."
She recommends online journals The Heron's Nest and A Hundred Gourds as places to see good-quality haiku from around the world, and the Archived Articles section of Haiku NewZ for 'how-to' advice on writing and editing.
An information sheet on writing haiku is available by emailing nzhaiku@gmail.com
"And if you haven't visited the Haiku Pathway, it's well worth taking a stroll and reading the poems there." Vehicle entry to the pathway is beside the Robert Harris café in Katikati.
how to enter
*Send two copies of each haiku or sheet of haiku, with one copy only including name, address, phone number, email address and, if a junior entrant, age. Juniors should be 17 or under on October 31.
*Haiku should be typewritten or clearly handwritten. Junior entrants should avoid decoration or illustration.
*Senior entry: $5 for every three haiku or $2 for one.
*Junior: $1 for every two haiku (schools may send bulk entries).
*Send poems to Katikati Haiku Contest, PO Box 183, Katikati 3166.
*Entries close on October 31.
