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Adventure Spotlight: Meeting the Maori in Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand
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Maori man with facial tattoos. Photo by Molly McCahan.
Sure, the South Island is best known as New Zealand’s adventure travel playground. After all, it’s here where adrenaline junkies introduced commercial bungee jumping to the world, and where a seriously diverse landscape of glaciers, fjords, rainforests, snowy peaks, wine country, and rugged coastline rub elbows with one another, offering up one awesome activity after another.
But if it’s culture you’re after, make a beeline for the North Island, where the bulk of the country’s population lives. Among them, you’ll be hard-pressed to miss the Maori. Considered an indigenous people, they’re well-known for their bold facial and body ta moko (tattoos), with men covering their entire faces in signature dark spirals, and women sporting designs on their lips and chins. The Maori are believed to have first arrived in New Zealand from Polynesia as far back as the 9th-13th centuries. Their greeting is unique as well: rubbing noses replaces the practice of shaking hands or kissing loved ones.
The city of Rotorua is considered the center of Maori culture, and today around 35% of the population here is Maori; their traditional settlements abound. A typical Maori village has a marae, an enclosed area of land where ceremonies and cultural gatherings take place. Central to any marae is the wharenui, or meeting house, usually adorned with impressive wood carvings and totems. Rotorua offers excellent examples of both. (Watch the slide show below for photos.)
Attending a Maori performance and indulging in a hangi, the traditional Maori feast, is a highlight of any Rotorua visit. The local “chefs” dig a pit in the ground, place heated rocks inside, set the food on top (these days, it’s often wrapped in foil), and then cover the pile and slowly roast the whole concoction for hours. The result is deliciously tender meat and smoky kumara (sweet potatoes), a local staple.
Most guesthouses and hostels in Rotorua sell tickets for this event, and while touristy, it’s a must-do for any visitor here. Our evening began with an introduction to the hangi--we watched locals assembling it in the ground--then continued with an intriguing evening walk through the forest. Here we witnessed a re-enactment of Maori settlers arriving by waka (dugout canoe), which--with only torchlight to guide us--felt very authentic. We then followed the tribal people into a large hut, where they entertained us for close to an hour with traditional Maori dancing, singing, and chanting. Afterward we enjoyed the fruits of the Maoris’ labors, indulging in a huge family-style dinner, and mingling with other tourists and the performers. We capped the night off with a surprise visit back to the forest to watch glow worms come alive in the late-night darkness. The entire evening was enchanting and well worth the price of admission.
A few interesting North Island tidbits:
- Rotorua is renowned for its geothermic activity: mud pools, geysers, and hot springs abound in the area. With that comes the pervading smell of sulphur just about anywhere you go. (Rotorua has even been nicknamed Sulphur City!) So be warned: Rotten egg smells here are de rigueur year-round, but the good times far outweigh the bad stink.
- Don’t miss the capital city of Wellington, whose Te Papa Museum offers a wonderful interactive glimpse into the history and background of the Maori people, among other exhibits. Opened in 1998 in its current form, Te Papa is a great place to spend an afternoon after arriving on an early morning ferry from the South Island; it‘s within walking distance from the Wellington ferry terminal. The building itself is quite impressive, incorporating Maori customs and values. And to top it off, the museum is free! (Donations are appreciated.) One cool fact: the museum’s full Maori name, Te Papa Tongarewa, literally means “container of treasures.”
- Fans of the movie Whale Rider can visit Whangara, the stunningly scenic and remote Maori village that served as the focal point in the film. Plan your visit here from the East Cape town of Gisborne, about a four-hour drive southeast from Rotorua. Most of the land in Whangara is privately owned; out of respect for the locals, you must join a tour to explore the area.
- The Maori haven’t always enjoyed such prosperity. Long in dispute since the 19th century is the Maoris’ right to land and cultural recognition after the British colonized the country, as outlined in the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi. Those rights are still a controversial subject today, along with culture and language preservation, despite wider acceptance of the Maori in the 21st century. The 1987 passing of the Maori Language Act recognized Te Reo Maori (Maori language) as an official language of New Zealand. As a result, today most government entities and signs are bilingual, incorporating both Maori and English languages.
When to go:
New Zealand’s location south of the equator makes its seasons opposite to ours here in the States. November-April is considered high season for warm-weather activities, with December-March bringing the nicest temperatures--along with summer festivals--to Rotorua.
How to get there:
For West Coasters, your fastest option (though pricey!) is a direct flight on Air New Zealand from LAX to Auckland on the North Island. Consider booking a discount flight through SF-based consolidator AirTreks; ours allowed us a free stopover in Fiji or Tahiti! Flights from SFO typically stop in Honolulu, Hawaii--not a bad layover spot, either. East Coasters will have to connect through San Francisco, Los Angeles, and/or Honolulu. From Auckland you can rent a cheap car for your New Zealand visit.
Air New Zealand offers domestic flights to Rotorua Airport from Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, and recently launched a direct flight from Sydney, Australia, making Rotorua even more accessible.
If you’re already on New Zealand’s South Island, head to the town of Picton for the car/passenger ferry to Wellington; you can book ahead online with Bluebridge or Interislander for the three-hour+ journey. Or consider a cheap flight from Christchurch to Wellington on Jetstar.
Note: If you rent a car on either island, check the contract rules! Some companies don’t allow inter-island travel.
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