Photos Courtesy of Te Puia , NZMACI, Rotorua
Rising from the geothermal valley above mud pools and steam vents is Te Puia Rotorua. Once a pallisaded fortress, Te Puia protected the people and its culture from warring tribes.
Today Te Puia stands majestic as a symbol of protection for our arts, crafts and culture, upholding the values of Maori – past, present and future.
Te Puia Rotorua Activity Options
Te Rā -Day Pass
- Guided tour of Te Puia Rotorua – duration 60 – 90 minutes every hour between 9.00 and 4.00 pm daily.
- Hear the legends and stories that have shaped the Maori’s rich and colourful history. See for yourself how the vegetation has adapted to survive in this mysterious landscape.
- Marvel at how Maori lived in this environment – cooking and bathing in natural boiling water, growing food, making medicines, and carving and weaving from the abundant natural resources.
- Visit a living pa (village) & be amazed at the fully carved meeting house.
Te Pō Indigenous Evening Experience (6:15 pm – 9:15 pm)
- Begin your evening at Te Puia in Te Heketanga-a-Rangi (The Heavenly Origins). Hear the stories of the past and learn how these traditions live on today. Assemble at the waharoa (gateway) to the fully carved traditional marae. You are about to experience an authentic Maori welcome!
- Watch a challenge by our warriors, a karanga (call) from our women welcoming you onto the marae, and a whaikorero (welcome speech). Relax and enjoy the beautiful waiata (songs), the world renowned haka (challenge), and the elegant poi dance. Learn Maori customs including Maori musical instruments, haka and poi.
- The dining experience is a culinary opportunity like no other. A range of delicacies have been designed to complement the time honoured hangi (earth oven cooked meal) and other well known New Zealand delights. Following dessert, you will be transported down into the valley to conclude your evening beside the awe inspiring Pohutu geyser.
Te Rā + Te Pō – Day Pass + Indigenous Evening Experience (4:30 pm – 9:15 pm)
- Before Te Po enjoy an exclusive guided tour of the valley with one of Te Puia’s world renowned guides. As part of the tour you will visit New Zealand’s national carving and weaving schools and witness these disciplines in practice, under the guidance of full-time master carvers and weavers.
- You will visit the award winning interactive galleries, see a kiwi bird up close, and most importantly, hear the stories as told by the descendants of the valley. To conclude the tour you will visit the geyser and mud pools, get ready for your next adventure Te Po!
Te Rā + Haka – Day Pass + Cultural Performance (10:15 am, 12.15 pm, 3.15 pm)
- Stories of old soar to life through song. Poi and stick games reveal how favourite past times were in fact training for agility and co-ordination.
- The spirit of Te Puia’s Maori Cultural Performances, Kapa Haka, is to learn to enjoy and also to be uplifted. Maori performers will sense the weary and focus their energy intently.
- Where there is movement there is life. Where there is song, there is healing. From the first step on to the Marae, the focal meeting place in the Maori village at Te Puia, the journey begins.
Other Experiences at Te Puia Rotorua
Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley
- Imagine standing at the place where the earth’s crust is thinnest. See boiling mud leaping and playing, hear steam hissing as it escapes the ground around you, feel warm water raining down as Pohutu geyser explodes up to 30 metres high right in front of you.
Our Kiwi
- Kiwi feathers played an important part in Maori culture. He can’t fly, and he loves the dark, but let your eyes adjust and you’ll see him poking for insects, his favourite food.
The New Zealand Maori Arts & Crafts Institute
- For centuries Maori learned to weave baskets, clothing, and mats. The history was carved into meeting houses, canoes, weapons and jewellery. Students of the Institute will share with you the stories of their carvings their weaving.
Other Information on Te Puia Rotorua
Opening Hours
Opening hours summer: 8.00 am – 6.00 pm daily, with the last guided tour leaving at 5.00 pm
Opening hours winter: 8.00 am – 5.00 pm daily, with the last guided tour leaving at 4.00 pm
Te Puia Rotorua Location
Hemo Road, Rotorua, New Zealand.
Book an Experience at Te Puia Rotorua
You can book a visit to Te Puia Rotorua separately or as part of one of our New Zealand holiday packages. We bundle activities, accommodation, and transportation together for convenient, affordable New Zealand holidays.
These are our most popular New Zealand holiday packages including an experience at Te Puia:
Contact New Zealand Travel Organiser today to plan your Rotorua activities.
