North Island, New Zealand Travel Guide

View Trips

Tamaki Poi Dance

Must see destinations

Coast covered with green plants on a sunny day

Te Pā Tū

Rotorua

Gain insights into the lives of the Māori community and their special bond with the land when you visit a Living Māori Village and interact with members of the community
Be more than a bystander, spending quality time with the members of a real Māori community and hearing stories about the traditions and culture of the indigenous people of New Zealand.

Whakarewarewa Living Village

Rotorua

Delve deep into Maori culture at Whakarewarewa, the living Maori village committed to preserving local Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao culture. Maori guides share stories and legends as you discover New Zealand’s biggest geyser, bubbling mud pools and thermal springs.

Setwidth900 AAT Kings NZ Whakarewarewa Living Village

Waitangi Treaty Grounds

Waitangi

Dive Into Culture on your New Zealand trip at the historic Waitangi Treaty Grounds uncovering the stories and events that shaped the country. Join a Local Specialist to view the world's largest ceremonial war canoe, the ‘whaka,’ the historic Treaty House, and carved Meeting House. At this monumental site, you’ll feel like you stepped in the history book standing where Māori chiefs first signed the Treaty of Waitangi (New Zealand’s founding document) with the British Crown in 1840. Visit the Carving Studio to meet the carvers and learn about the Māori art of whakairo (wood carving). On this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, through your visit to the Te Kōngahu Museum of Waitangi, you’ll contribute to the Waitangi National Trust’s mission to preserve, protect, and present taonga (treasures) of New Zealand.

Te Puia The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute

Rotorua

Visit Te Puia Thermal Reserve where a Local Guide will show you New Zealand’s biggest active geyser in the Southern Hemisphere, bubbling and jumping mud pools, and thermal springs. Experience this wild, untamed land of your New Zealand tour strolling the broad boardwalks, wide-eyed and ready for more. After taking in the natural beauty of Te Puia, you’ll visit the arts and crafts institute to see talented students work on traditional Maori cravings and weavings, and even try these out for yourself. Learn about the esteemed education program and selective application process for these students training in Maori arts and culture knowing that you’re learning from the best and the brightest. Your MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience helps fund this institute which enriches the lives of the local Maori and contributes to the important work of preserving Maori culture for future generations

Te Po Experience at Te Puia

Rotorua

Explore Te Puia’s geothermal valley, and learn about Māori history and culture on this guided experience, which includes a dinner of hangi-inspired cuisine and a cultural performance in a finely carved meeting house, Te Aronui a Rua. It ends on a high at the Pohutu Geyser, where, armed with a hot chocolate you’ll view one of New Zealand’s geothermal wonderlands.