A guide to Māori tourism in New Zealand

16.09.2024 - 17:35 / lonelyplanet.com

Sep 15, 2024 • 11 min read

Auckland-based Māori writer Tommy de Silva shares his tips for Māori tourism in New Zealand.

Visitors to New Zealand often don't know much about the Māori, the Indigenous population of these islands, beyond having seen the haka (war dance) performed by the All Blacks rugby team. But we are an entrepreneurial people, who have shared our beautiful culture through tourism for nearly two centuries.

My ancestors were some of the first tour guides in the Bay of Plenty’s geothermal fields in the mid-1800s, and now it's my turn to share some of the best spots in Aotearoa (New Zealand’s name in the Māori language) with you, so you can add some Māori experiences to your list of things to do.

A remarkable range of landscapes and experiences can be found in our small nation, offering something for every traveler and every budget. While the earliest forms of Māori tourism primarily showcased natural wonders such as Rotorua’s geysers, contemporary operators offer diverse experiences to pique any travelers’ interests – from enjoying a hāngī (earth oven) meal while watching a cultural performance to paddling across New Zealand’s beautiful waters in a traditional waka (canoe).

You’ll be surrounded by opportunities to immerse yourself in te ao Māori (Māori culture) from the moment you arrive in New Zealand. I mean that literally – visitors arriving at Auckland's International Airport are beckoned in with the greeting " Nau mai, haere mai " ("welcome") as they enter through a traditional waharoa (carved Māori gateway).

However, the experiences on offer vary depending on the area you visit. The vast majority (85%) of the country’s nearly one million Māori live on Te-Ika-a-Maui (the North Island), and around one-third of the population of regions such as the Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay and Northland are Indigenous. Likewise, the majority of people in Gisborne Tairāwhiti are Māori, making this another good place to experience te ao Māori.

The two most famous places to learn about Māori culture are both on the North Island. In Northland, the Waitangi Treaty Grounds mark the site where Māori chiefs and British representatives signed a treaty to establish the bicultural nation of New Zealand in 1840. South of Auckland is the geothermally active town of Rotorua, the setting for many Indigenous encounters, including trips to Whakarewarewa , home of the Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao people, who have been hosting visitors in their traditional village for over 200 years.

Despite its smaller Māori population, the South Island also offers opportunities to learn about Māori culture. The island is known to Māori as Te Wapiounamu ("The Greenstone Waters") as this is the country’s main source of pounam