Many of us have been to a culture show where locals sing and dance in a performance tailored to Western tastes. These often have very little to do with the local ethnic culture.
Te Puia in Rotorua, New Zealand looks a bit like those culture shows on the surface, but underneath it has an important role in encouraging Māori New Zealanders to practise their culture, learn traditional skills, care for endangered birds and show off the geothermal wonders of the island.
The Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Act has established at Te Puia the National Wood Carving, Stone and Bone Carving and Weaving Schools.
The guided tourist tour of Te Puia is additional to its primary role in preserving traditional crafts and cultural activities.
The tour began with Māori guide, Michael, trying, with limited success, to get visitors to pronounce the Māori name for the valley where Te Puia is located – te whakarewarewatangaoteopetautawāhiao meaning the war dance of the war parties of Wāhiao.
Our guide then led us to Te Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley with myriad hot springs and several geysers. We watched the eruption of the southern hemisphere’s largest natural geyser, Pōhutu Geyser, which emits skyward a 30 metre column of steam and hot water over 15 times a day.
Our next visit was to the state-of-the-art Kiwi Conservation Centre opened in 2019, part of the North Island Brown Kiwi captive management program.
Kiwi conservation at Te Puia dates back to the 1970s when the centre operated as a rehabilitation facility for injured wild kiwi. The flightless birds are threatened by predators introduced by Māori and Pākehā settlers
Kiwi are nocturnal birds. In the centre they forage in their purpose-built nocturnal enclosure. The design features specialised lighting to support natural vegetation growth, soundproof panels for a tranquil environment, an isolation room for health checks and a room with an educational interactive display, offering insights into the life and conservation of the threatened birds.
Among the kiwi on display is Manawa, the newest addition. Hatched in November 2024, Manawa is the first chick born in 15 years.
Next stop was a view of the workshops of Māori Arts and Crafts Institute where today’s Māori learn and practise traditional skills of wood and stone carving, weaving, jewellery making and boat building.
The Institute’s function is to encourage, foster, and promote Māori culture and arts through demonstrations and exhibitions and provide training for the Māori people of New Zealand, including in whakairo rākau (carving) and raranga (weaving), performing arts.
It is also responsible for promoting sustainable development of scenic and tourist attractions in the Rotorua district and elsewhere.
Then we move to the traditionally carved wharenui (Māori meeting house) for a traditional welcome ceremony, which some visitors found quite scary, followed by a performance of Māori songs, chants, poi, and haka.
Finally, we move on to a buffet lunch at the restaurant that also serves to train young Māori for work in the hospitality industry.
The lunch features a fusion of Māori and international flavours, from corn and watercress soup, fresh seafood and steamed puddings to chicken steamed underground, hāngi style.
Rotorua has several touristy culture shows but Te Puia is the one with the clearest mark of authenticity.
