A trip to New Zealand wouldn’t be complete without a stop in Rotorua, located about a 3 hour drive south east of Auckland on the North Island. If you’re looking for a quiet, pastoral village… Well, Rotorua might not be the right place for you. This town is buzzing with tour buses, and it was one of the very first places to jump on the tourism bandwagon. Kiwis, known for their sense of irony, have even dubbed it as “Roto Vegas,” given its many motel and neon signs. But in reality, it’s nothing like it.
The stunning Art Deco Bathhouse in the heart of Rotorua.
You see, Rotorua is the geothermal center of the country. It’s also a hot spot for adrenaline junkies, home to New Zealand’s commercially operating “Zorbing” company. Never heard of Zorbing? Basically, you roll down a hill inside an inflatable ball. Think of it as a human laundry machine. And yes, people pay money to do this!
I wonder how many times they have to clean out the Zorb?
But more importantly, Rotorua is where you can experience authentic Maori culture, learning about Ta Moko (traditional tattooing), the haka (a ceremonial dance) and hangi (meals cooked in an underground oven).
It’s almost dinner time. We’re starving!
Kevin and I were invited by Mitai Maori Village to experience their spectacular evening performance. Even cooler? The tour also included a guided bush walk where we saw glow worms in their natural element and saw a Kiwi bird at a nearby sanctuary. We did a ton of things in Rotorua but this experience was our favorite. Check out our journey —
Arrival at Mitai Maori Village: Where’s the Chief?
They’re looking for a chief from the audience. Kevin, are you up for the job?
Mitai Maori Village has re-created what life was like for the first inhabitants of New Zealand, or Aotearoa, meaning ‘Land of the Long White Cloud.’ Kevin and I felt welcomed like a member of their whānau (or family). There are many other Maori cultural centers in Rotorua, but we did our homework and were happy to see that Mitai Maori Village ranked at the top. The night we attended there were visitors from 15 countries, showing the true draw from around the world. Advanced reservations are essential, especially if you only have a short time in New Zealand.
The welcome ceremony at Mitai Maori Village inside the tent.
The evening began with a warm and personalized meet and greet from one of the Maori women dressed in traditional attire and decorated with moko kauae (or tattoo) worn on the chin. The woman’s moko can also occasionally appear on the forehead, upper lip, nostrils and throat.
The traditional moko for women.
“Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa,” our Maori host called out as we all got seated. This is the traditional way of saying hello. When I lived in New Zealand back in 2003, I could recite a traditional Maori greeting by memory. But let’s just say, I have a hard time remembering what I did yesterday so a Maori language tutorial was very helpful.
Watching the traditional waka ceremony.
We were given the overview of the night — first, we’d see a traditional waka (canoe ceremony), then ceremonial dances followed by an all-you-can-eat meal. Sounds good to me. But first, we needed to select a chief to represent our group. I felt tempted to volunteer Kevin for the job. But I knew my marriage would likely be on the line! We eventually chose our chief who performed the best haka. Yeah, that definitely would have led to a divorce.
A Night of Dance: Powhiri
The most sacred part of the welcome is during the first 5 minutes, where you acknowledge the creator, then those who passed on. They brought our chief up on stage and greeted him with the hongi, which involves touching your nose and forehead to another person’s. Think of it as a traditional handshake. Remember, if you volunteer to be the chief, you’ll be up on stage in front of everyone and asked to give a speech. I was impressed by our chief who seemed (mostly) at ease and gave a thoughtful welcome. At this point, Kevin would not only have divorced me but asked for full custody of the dog, too. It’s all about life choices and clearly I chose wisely by not volunteering him!
A Feast of the Riches: A Traditional Hangi
Everything looks delicious – we have a hard time deciding what to pick.
You won’t walk away hungry from this feast. It’s buffet style and you’re welcome to go up as many times as you’d like. Nobody is judging… Okay, maybe I was a little after I saw someone at our table go up for their 5th time. There was chicken, lamb, potatoes, kumara (sweet potatoes), veggies rice and more. And let’s not forget about the dessert spread. Now I feel like I’m in Vegas!
Filling up the plate.
Wrapping Things Up: Joining A Guided Bush Walk
Well, what could be better after a meal? How about a walk through the woods? Kevin and I decided to sign up for the special combo experience. It is slightly more expensive, but we both felt is a great way to wrap up the night. Culture AND animals? You got our sweet spot.
Our guide led us through the woods to the Wai-o-whiro stream to see glow worms in their natural surroundings. We did the Blackwater Canyon tour in Waitomo, but let’s just say this was a much more comfortable experience (no wet suits required!). Then, we made our way over to Rainbow Springs where we went inside the enclosure to see Kiwi birds hunting for bugs.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane…It’s a Kiwi!
It takes some effort to see these nocturnal flightless birds. So it’s no wonder that most New Zealanders haven’t ever actually seen one in the wild. Rainbow Springs is also home to the Kiwi Hatchery, which is working to save the Kiwi bird from going extinct. The night was coming to a close — all 4 hours of it. But before we headed out, our guide took us over to the pond where we got to see him feed eels. It felt like a horror movie as the eels ripped through raw chicken in the dark pond. Now that is one pool you definitely don’t want to swim in!
I can’t with these eels… So creepy.
If you’re sticking around in Rotorua, you’ll be able to visit Rainbow Springs the next day, included in your ticket price. It’s basically a compact zoo where you can do interactive animal encounters. And that’s not all, the place also has a flume.
Where are we? All you can eat buffets, dance shows and theme rides? It sort of sounds like Vegas — okay Kiwis, maybe you’re onto something with this whole “Roto Vegas” thing!
THE LOW DOWN:
- Advanced reservations are necessary. Be sure to book with Mitai Maori Village at least a month out.
- We recommend the Beauty by Night Combo Tour — it combines a cultural experience with a great little bush walk. Following your visit to Mitai, you are escorted through the woods to start your night walk through Rainbow Springs Nature Park where you’ll see a real-life Kiwi bird and other native New Zealand creatures.
- Hotel pick ups are available or you can drive and park in their large lot. We decided to drive ourselves and met up at 5:30 PM. The entire evening wrapped around 9:30 PM. It’s a long night, but goes very fast!
- The Beauty by Night Combo Tour is around $100 USD per adult, $54 USD for students (10 – to 15-years-old), $30 USD for children (5- to 9-years-old) and free for children under 5-years-old.
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