Enjoy a beautiful day in the Māori culture, exploring the nooks and crannies and visit traditional and living Māori villages. Finish-off your time on a 2hr restorative journey traveling through geothermal heat, water, mud and steam.
We are located in Rotorua NZ.
Be welcomed into the Māori world under the guidance of our Ngāti Whakaue ancestors at Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa.
Our first stop takes us to a Māori reservation. Your guide will begin to tell you about our Sky Father and Earth Mother and the connection Māori has with nature. Here you will also learn about some flora and fauna that has spiritual and medicinal purposes.
A short stroll down the road will take us to a traditional Māori village. Learn how the stories of old have been recorded in the carved meeting house and the importance of genealogy or family
tree. Visit the site of New Zealand’s own love story, Hinemoa & Tūtānekai.
Our next stop is the bastion of Māori culture, our spiritual meeting grounds, a Marae. The marae holds great significance for the Māori people as it is a place of gathering, sharing knowledge and farewelling our loved ones. You will receive a warm welcome inside the meeting house and experience Māori protocols first-hand. Learn about the Māori world in a traditional setting.
Lunch is held in the Café at Te Whakarewarewa Living Māori Village and includes a Hangi Pie Meal & chilled water. The meat and vegetables from the pie are cooked from geothermal steam.
After lunch, your guide will take you on a private guided tour throughout the Village. Listen to your guide share the story of the Pink and White Terraces, known as the ‘eighth wonder of the world’ and how the volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886 shaped the Māori people of Tuhourangi/Ngāti Wahiao who live in the Village. Discover a way of life nestled amongst a geothermal valley and experience steam vents, bubbling hot pools and Pōhutu Geyser, the largest geyser in the southern hemisphere!
To complete your day, experience the geothermal elements of Ruaumoko "God of Volcanoes" including geothermal heat, water, mud and steam with a 2-hour Restorative Journey at Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa! A wellness must-do!