Cultural Experience & Seasonal Māori Cuisine at Te Pā Tū

Overall this experience went from bad to worse. Our night could not end soon enough. This experience is overly commercialized. Look elsewhere for an authentic experience. To begin, the chief of each group was chosen randomly from each bus. The guy chosen from our bus completely lacked engagement and willingness. He was always roaming off and was aloof. Women aren’t allowed to be chosen as the chief which I understand is cultural but the chief and his partner are treated as vip’s. They definitely get offered the best experience and like I said, the experience was wasted on our chosen chief but the whole group’s experience suffered because of his lack of participation. The worst part of the experience was one of the female hosts who was rude. Although I never directly interacted with her, she was always scolding the guests or standing in the middle of the show blocking photos. I was unable to get 1 good photo from the opening ceremony due to where she positioned herself. The rest of the time we were hurdled along like sheep from one place to another. The older people are given preferential treatment from opening ceremony, the village, performance and dinner. The food is buffet style and as is typical in that dinner format, people were pretty aggressive and disgusting (grabbing food with fingers, eating off plates in line, etc.) The dinner has a very camp vibe. The room lacks any decor, one of the male Māori performers changed from his cultural garb to sweats, a hoodie, and hat to “serenade” us on his guitar during dinner. During the main performance the one girl constantly mocked herself and the lack of quality in her performance (laughing at herself when she dropped a stick or messed up at poi, rolling her eyes, and making people take notice to her voice cracking while singing.) She completely broke the suspension of disbelief. Perhaps our experience was completely different than others, or our standard is too high, but I definitely did not get the 5 star experience others received.

Very talented young people. The songs were great and performed well. The Hangi feast was very tasty and feast is a great description. We felt full and well taken care of. Our guide, Wallace, was entertaining on the trip. I know it is a business but it felt like a living museum and I appreciate the efforts by all involved.

A must do when in the area. Fun, professional, and educational all at same time. Food was great and people were so friendly.

Excellent evening from start to finish. All performances were brilliant. Learnt a lot, we really admire the Maori people and there culture. The dinner itself was excellent well done. Must say our driver was a real character, and I will never think of the "wheels on the bus" in the same way again.

A wonderful way to get in touch with the Mahori culture. Welcoming and nice people. Absolutely a must if you are in the area!

This was fun, educational and a moving experience that touched my heart unexpectedly. This is the best of the best in the this area.

Not to be missed experience Most entertaining and educational show. Dinner excellent. Food choices great. Well organised. Bus driver at end of evening very entertaining Everyone very welcoming.

Absolutely amazing!! We loved everything about this experience, especially learning all about the culture. This is a must do while in Rotorua! We would definitely do this again.

Very interesting and fun. Great food, plenty of audience participation. Learnt alot about the Maori people.

Absolutely fantastic experience. Interesting to learn about Maori culture and be welcomed into their village. The food was extremely tasty and flavoursome. Our driver Davey was FANTASTIC. Good value for money.