Rotorua: Te Rā Guided Experience + Haka

Amazing geography, wonderful buildings set out to maximise the area, loved the art and craft area and learning about Maori culture. A highlight was seeing the kiwis and the Maori performers and the geiser.

Magical. We learned a lot about the Māori culture and were blessed enough to experience Mother Nature up close. The people who ran the guided tour cared so much about us personally and were the most beautiful people I've met. My son was chosen as chief and it left him with a spiritual uplift and we left feeling on top of the world.

We booked the guided tour with Welcome Ceremony/Haka. Everything is run very professionally. We fully recommend this activity.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Te Puia. Our guide was Māori, which added a personal and authentic perspective to the experience. I enjoyed the cultural performance, the delicious hāngī lunch, and the guided tour through the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, the Kiwi Conservation Centre, and the geothermal valley with its impressive geysers. The guide's narration helped me gain a greater appreciation for Māori culture, traditions, art, and history. I especially enjoyed learning about Māori arts and crafts, seeing the kiwi birds, and hearing about the cultural significance of various traditions and practices. The combination of cultural experiences and Rotorua's unique geothermal landscape made for a very memorable visit. Te Puia is an excellent place for anyone who wants to gain a broad understanding of Māori culture while also experiencing some of New Zealand's most remarkable geothermal attractions. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Rotorua.

I visited Rotorua in order to see the geysers and was not disappointed. There are a couple of places offering tours but I chose this one as I believe it is the oldest and had good reviews. I booked a tour for 10 am on a Sunday and there were probably about 30 people booked but they split us into two smaller groups. Our guide (call me Mr T.!) was excellent and informative. We went first to the Kiwi house where we were lucky enough to see two Kiwi birds awake and active - they apparently sleep for 20 hours a day so we were fortunate. We then went onto see the mud pools spluttering away and the geysers. One was very active during our visit. You then get a small tractor train back to the visitor centre before a tour of the three workshops where wood and stone carving and weaving are in action. Finally there is a cultural session, which takes place in the beautiful meeting house, and includes a Haka as well as an explanation of what the Haka is. Be prepared for the smell, which does linger in your clothes for the rest of the day. And I had a light lunch at the cafe there which was excellent. All in all this is an excellent tour and I think value for money.

It is a must for every visitor to New Zealand to understand it's Maori culture. It is quite far from Auckland by car but it was worth it. Hopefully ,I wish there was a direct bus early in the morning to catch from Auckland .

At 77, time was running out to satisfy a childhood want to see a Kiwi, a plopping volcanic mud poit and a geyser. All three satisfied in one day.

Very nice overview of Maori culture and the Rotorua land. Kiwi enclosure is a rare experience.

The geyser with natural activity was fantastic and in a beautiful setting. Appreciated the vision of the kiwis and the traditional art school Morì. Quality shop with wide choice.

This is an UNMISSABLE experience. Exceptionally organised, beautifully and thoughtfully presented, interesting and a brilliant way to see a few unique things in one trip! It’s a working school passing the unique Māori skills down, the Kiwi birds was fabulous, the geyser was amazing and the Māori experience was so well done. We had lunch at the end and couldn’t praise this place enough! Well done 🙌🏻