Mitai Maori Village Cultural Experience in Rotorua
Recommended by 91% of travelers
Rotorua, New Zealand
+5
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Get an authentic introduction to Māori culture the way few tourists do, with an evening at the Mitai Māori Village in Rotorua. See men in traditional dress paddle down the river in a waka (canoe) and be captivated by the displays of weaponry. Watch a haka war dance and poi performance, and spot glowworms in their natural habitat. This evening experience includes round-trip hotel transport and a traditional buffet hangi feast, so you don't have to worry about a thing.
- Learn first-hand about New Zealand's indigenous Māori culture
- Enjoy a guided bush walk to learn about native flora and fauna
- Let one easy booking handle a whole host of plans
- Worried about language barriers? No need, there are eight to choose from
What's Included
- 3 hour nightly cultural experience
- Hangi served from a buffet alongside other side dishes and dessert
- Participate in a short guided bush walk to learn of the flora and fauna and see glow worms
- Māori Cultural Performance
- Courtesy transfers from local accommodation providers within Rotorua (limited places)
- Coffee and/or TeaSpring Water / Tea & Coffee
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
You're transferred from your accommodation in Rotorua after a personalized meet-and-greet and photo op with a Māori woman in traditional attire. Then learn some basic guidelines for entering the Mitai Māori Village, considered a sacred cultural and spiritual space to the Māori people.
In this bush setting of New Zealand's North Island, discover the history of the area once thriving with indigenous villages. You'll observe Māori warriors paddling a waka, or canoe, down the Wai-o-whiro stream, and visit the Fairy Spring for a look at freshwater eels, trout, and glowworms.
The evening's cultural entertainment includes a performance of games, songs, and dances including the haka, or war dance. Learn about Māori customs, including the medicinal uses of native plants.
Savor a selection of succulent dishes during a traditional hangi feast, with foods cooked underground in an earthen oven. Your dinner includes New Zealand meats and poultry along with vegetables and fresh salads. Top off your meal with buffet-style desserts. Drinks are available for purchase from the full bar.
Afterward, you're dropped off at your hotel.
In this bush setting of New Zealand's North Island, discover the history of the area once thriving with indigenous villages. You'll observe Māori warriors paddling a waka, or canoe, down the Wai-o-whiro stream, and visit the Fairy Spring for a look at freshwater eels, trout, and glowworms.
The evening's cultural entertainment includes a performance of games, songs, and dances including the haka, or war dance. Learn about Māori customs, including the medicinal uses of native plants.
Savor a selection of succulent dishes during a traditional hangi feast, with foods cooked underground in an earthen oven. Your dinner includes New Zealand meats and poultry along with vegetables and fresh salads. Top off your meal with buffet-style desserts. Drinks are available for purchase from the full bar.
Afterward, you're dropped off at your hotel.
1
Mitai Maori Village
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Infant seats available
- Most travelers can participate
- Wheelchair accessibility is limited for the 'bush walk' - exit into the forest is via stairs. Viewing of the waka (canoe) is from a platform and you can go a short distance into the forest to view the old pā (village) and see the sacred spring below the forest. Unfortunately, you will not see the glow worms. (Note: there is some uneven surfaces).
- Please note there is a small walk through the forest which has some steps and uneven ground in some areas
- Infant seats are subject to availability
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately - warm comfortable clothing and walking footwear
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 180 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 1,439 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Was a wonderful night the guide and speaker was very knowledgeable and taught us many things about the Maori culture the hāngī was amazing and delicious and so was the performances and seeing things from there history all together was an amazing night would recommend highly
Good cultural experience and nice meal. The young lady who led the cultural experience was great. Well run.
Informative, interactive and great feed. Enjoyed everything about the experience. Family friendly as well.
very relaxing and quiet and good service. Very clean and the amenities were great too and would come again
The experience would have been good but there were far too many people. We were unable to see or hear some of the very interesting facts on the walk particularly at the end. We were at the tail end and no consideration given to the fact that we were left behind; held up by slower walkers and missed dialogue, context. Poorly organised for the walks which should have been smaller groups not a herd.
Great experience, all the family enjoyed it. Only one thing not reached my expectations, too many people, at night really hard to see and hear the tour guide’s talk
The evening was well organised and the people friendly. We enjoyed the meal. The food was tasty and plentiful. . However, we were disappointed with the show.
This night was amazing , food excellent, commentary excellent and show enthralling and captivating The organisation was very thorough, never felt rushed when moving through to the village.
A great evening at the village, host and entertainment were excellent, sharing stories about the Māori culture.
Food was fabulous, lots of choice which was well cooked.
A great evening entertainment which helped to understand more about the Māori culture a real must do activity.
It was amazing. We loved it so much.
Such a great experience. Highly recommend
The show, the food was out of this world.
Such beautiful people and loved learning about their culture.
Great food. Interesting commentary very knowledgeable. Learnt a lot about Māori culture. Good show. A good night out. Recommend.
The buffet was fabulous with a very large variety of foods. The village was too dimly lit to see at night and many of the depictions were “under construction.” The guide was excellent and yet he spoke only loud enough for those first 20-30 people lined up behind him. I wish there was another on for the slower older guests in the back 1/3 of the group. I never heard anything he said. The performers were clearly hard working and trying to do their best. They mostly were very young men and women.
This is a great experience. I highly recommend doing this.
It was raining & cold, but still a wonderful evening. The entertainment was great & so was the hangi. We got to see glow worms as well. Excellent!
An immersive cultural experience delivered with passion and energy by the family. The buffet was also great 👍
This is a fantastic night. From the host to the entertainent & the food, the entire experience is amazing. Great exhibition of the History & Maori culture. Love every minute.
Great experience with informative and entertaining shows. The food was exceptional. Would definitely recommend
Gaining insight into the local culture and traditions was definitely worthwhile. That said, the experience is noticeably commercialized and doesn't feel entirely authentic.
However, I genuinely appreciated our guide referring to the local performers as artists and giving them proper recognition. That thoughtful framing made a big difference and allowed me to enjoy the shows feeling much more comfortable and respectful of their craft.
A genuine well run family business. Food and entertainment we both good. Very close to centre of Rotorua.
This was amazing from start to finish, the entertainment and food, the people were all amazing. A great night
A wonderful night full of culture, song, humour and amazing food.
If going in winter rug up. Worth every dollar paid
Shuttle service was excellent. Food was delicious. Cultural experience was out of this world! This experience is worth EVERY dollar!
This was absolutely incredible, food was delicious, everyone was so friendly and welcoming. Thank you for welcoming us into your beautiful country Aotearoa.
Good overview of culture. Plenty of food, was tasty. Activity finished at about 2030 but our taxi was booked for 2115 (as per the staff’s advice at the beginning when we asked) so we were waiting around for a while when everyone (even staff) had left.
We were advised by our friends here in New Zealand that this experience was one not to be missed. From pick up by our friendly Māori bus driver to returning back to our hotel, our experience was truly amazing. The village is beautiful and authentic, and the hangi was especially tasty, you will not leave hungry there is so much delicious food and dessert. The traditional cooking method takes a long time and the results are amazing, I am actually a qualified Chef and have never experienced food cooked this way. Everyone is soo incredibly welcoming in New Zealand and especially at our visit to the village last night. I’m so glad we were able to go.
Be prepared for some walking. The venue is on a hillside so you have to walk from the parking lot down to the dining venue. Once you get checked in there you can sit down and relax for a little bit. The host will come in and talk with everyone and then he'll take you down to another area for the "show" I tell everyone about all the different dances and and tools and outfits that the performers are wearing. Back up the hill for dinner and then afterwards take you for for more entertainment, watching The warriors arrive in their boat. And then it's on to the glow worms. Which is really just a small area on the hillside but you do get to be close to them.
love the way the Māori culture is presented - presented at river and also on stage. very interesting and the Hangi buffet is great - food is delicious and many types to choose, ranging from meat to salad to bread to desserts!
We had a great time learning about the local culture and experiencing the local tribal food. It was a great way to kick off our trip!
Insightful cultural experience, great food, wonderful staff, lively performances, enchanting environment.
We really enjoyed our dinner and learning about Māori culture. The performance was incredible and we loved dinner and dessert! Walking around the bush was also really neat even with the dark and rain; really added to the ambience. The performers were very talented and engaging, and our host taught us much about the people and history.
Our visit to Mitai Maori Village was absolutely excellent and one of the highlights of our trip to Rotorua. The experience was both entertaining and educational, and we learned so much about Māori culture and traditions.
The performances and cultural show were incredible, and you could really feel the passion and pride throughout the entire experience. The buffet dinner was also excellent with plenty of delicious options to enjoy.
They also have a wonderful gift shop with great souvenirs to help remember the experience. Highly recommend this for anyone visiting Rotorua and wanting an authentic and memorable cultural experience!
-Chef Roy
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$97.60
per personWas $102.74(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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