Mitai Maori Village Cultural Experience in Rotorua
Overview
Available languages
3 hours
Mobile ticket
Enter the world of Mitai Māori Village and embrace our history and culture. Watch our stories unfold through the dynamic scenes of our warriors paddling down Wai-o-Whiro stream, the melodious sounds of our instruments and entertainment from our performers including the haka. Satisfy your hunger with the traditional Māori Hangi and concluding your evening with a walk through our forest to see the ancient, fortified village learning the old ways of living and survival of our people and discover the natural resource Te Puna a Tuhoe, freshwater spring. The evening is not over until you glimpse the glow worms light up the banks of forest as the veil of darkness sets in.
Nau mai, haere mai, whakatau mai – come and experience our world…
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Wheelchair accessibility is limited for the 'bush walk' - exit into the forest is via stairs. Viewing of the waka (canoe) is from a platform and you can go a short distance into the forest to view the old pā (village) and see the sacred spring below the forest. Unfortunately, you will not see the glow worms. (Note: there is some uneven surfaces).
Please note there is a small walk through the forest which has some steps and uneven ground in some areas
Infant seats are subject to availability
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately - warm comfortable clothing and walking footwear
What To Expect
Mitai Maori Village
Enter the world of Mitai, and learn about the history of this area which was once flourished in villages. See our fierce warriors in traditional dress paddle an ancient warrior canoe (waka) down the Wai-o-whiro stream.
Options
Cultural Experience w Pick Up
Hotel Pick Up Included: Summer pickup between 5.45pm and 6.15pm Winter pickup between 5.15pm and 5.45pm Hangi Buffet Meal Cultural Experience: Evening Performance, Guided Tour, Glow Worms and Hangi Buffet Meal Pickup included
Cultural Experience Self Drive
Hangi Buffet Meal Cultural Experience: Evening Performance, Guided Tour, Glow Worms and Hangi Buffet Meal. Pick Up not included. meet at Mitai Maori Village
What‘s Included
Hangi served from a buffet alongside other side dishes and dessert
Courtesy transfers from local accommodation providers within Rotorua (limited places)
Participate in a short guided bush walk to learn of the flora and fauna and see glow worms
Spring Water / Tea & Coffee
Māori Cultural Performance
3 hour nightly cultural experience
Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
1,384 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Perfect fun experience
126kasik,Jun 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Awesome this is the best tour I’ve ever had you can see the matai tribe along with there weapons, dances and song and the chief is funny and nice not only that but you can eat at a restaurant after. Everything is amazing not to mention it also comes with dessert
Great dinner and performance
Hannah L,Jun 2, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00We really enjoyed our dinner and learning about Māori culture. The performance was incredible and we loved dinner and dessert! Walking around the bush was also really neat even with the dark and rain; really added to the ambience. The performers were very talented and engaging, and our host taught us much about the people and history.
Five Star Experience ⭐️
Natalie B,May 27, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We did the evening package and had the best time as a family. Firstly our guide was wonderful, humorous, knowledgeable and a genuine pleasure to listen to. The first walk to see the war canoe was great - really stirring and fantastic to watch. Next was the show which was brilliant!! I’ve only ever seen the haka on tv or social media so getting to see it in real life was a very moving experience and absolutely amazing. Even though we were hungry and ready for our hangi feast - we really didnt want the show to end! They were all so talented and it was all so great to see and hear. But next was the FEAST and that’s the right word because there was so much food with so many delicious options! The meat and potatoes we’d seen cooking in the hangi earlier and that just fell off the bone and melted in your mouth yum! And there was so many other dishes to accompany these such as creamy coconut spinach, beef casserole, pumpkin, all kinds of salads, breads and rice. Honestly we are big eaters and we were stuffed! The desserts were delicious too including hot steamed sponge pudding, hokey pokey ice cream, pavlova, chocolate cake and fruit salad. Exceptional. After was the Q and A and our guide spoke so passionately about the Maori culture, history, challenges and future. It was so informative and interesting. After this we had a walk into the forest to see the glow worms which was fascinating as we’d never them before! All in all, we had an awesome night and an experience we shall never forget. Our 8 year old daughter had the best time and I would highly recommend this experience to other families. ☺️
Great show don’t miss it.
RRCorniche,May 22, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This is a wonderful show with great food. Normally I think of these kind of trips with suspicion having been to a terrible one in Cyprus, but this was entirely different and you really do get a feeling of inclusion and an understanding of the culture and peoples. The food was fantastic too and a lot of it. I thought the performances were really good too and I take my hat off to all concerned.
Amazing Cultural Experience in Rotorua!
Rolando Q,May 22, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Our visit to Mitai Maori Village was absolutely excellent and one of the highlights of our trip to Rotorua. The experience was both entertaining and educational, and we learned so much about Māori culture and traditions. The performances and cultural show were incredible, and you could really feel the passion and pride throughout the entire experience. The buffet dinner was also excellent with plenty of delicious options to enjoy. They also have a wonderful gift shop with great souvenirs to help remember the experience. Highly recommend this for anyone visiting Rotorua and wanting an authentic and memorable cultural experience! -Chef Roy
Amazing Cultural Experience in Rotorua!
Rmquispe,May 22, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our visit to Mitai Maori Village was absolutely excellent and one of the highlights of our trip to Rotorua. The experience was both entertaining and educational, and we learned so much about Māori culture and traditions. The performances and cultural show were incredible, and you could really feel the passion and pride throughout the entire experience. The buffet dinner was also excellent with plenty of delicious options to enjoy. They also have a wonderful gift shop with great souvenirs to help remember the experience. Highly recommend this for anyone visiting Rotorua and wanting an authentic and memorable cultural experience! -Chef Roy
What a show.
Sharon F,May 19, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00What a show . Food was amazing. Staff was amazing. Learnt so much about something I knew nothing about. Definitely would recommend . Beautiful gardens and easy for people to get about.
Enjoyable night!
Melissa Z,May 17, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Very inviting, educational and inspiring. Great host, great food and the ‘show’ was amazing! My 2yr old grandson loved it too.
Disappointing. Expensive price for a budget experience. This is a mass-produced, tourist trap.
Camper15550365298,May 14, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00My partner and I recently did this experience; we did the night time tour. My partner is very interested in the Māori culture and was anticipating the night. When we arrived we were issued into a big hall, with 18 tables, with 10 people to a table. We were surprised, as it seemed unlikely we would get much of an 'intimate' experience with almost 200 people there. The host of the evening started with a Māori song and an introduction. She seemed bored, and disinterested, not someone who was proud of her culture and wanted to share it. She briefly went through how the Māori do the Hāngī which was interesting, and I expected this would be part of the experience. She went through the program about three times, and laid out in excruciating detail, about minor things, like being allowed to take pictures, and that we had two bushwalks. By this stage, we were almost 30 minutes into our three-hour experience. We then went on our first 'bushwalk', via the Hāngī' which was a U-shape walkaway with a few big trays with some potatoes and meat in them. I realised now why the host had gone through the detail of the evening, as the path was designed so you walked around, took a picture, and were shuffled onto the next experience. The first 'bushwalk' was about 100m on paved stones, down to a river to see a war canoe ceremony. We were one of the earlier people who arrived (probably because we weren't drinking), and waited for over 10 minutes for everyone to arrive. The war canoe was some of the hosts doing a traditional Māori performance. This was interesting and felt reasonably 'genuine', except you could tell the entire river had been set up so they could go briefly upstream and then briefly downstream. We saw the canoe for approximately 30 seconds. It was then another 10 minutes for everyone to shuffle to the next item on the list. This was the cultural hall (which was a big marquee) where the performers did some traditional singing and dancing. This was quite good, there was a different host, who was more engaging and funny. The problem with this hall was that there was almost 200 people in the space, which meant there were people at the back who couldn't see, or hear what was happening as nobody on stage had a microphone. We then went for the Hāngī' dinner, which was a buffet of a few different meats, some potatoes, coleslaw, and other similar items, and felt nothing like a Maori feast, and everything like a standard-bistro meal. Nothing was labelled, so my partner ended up with a fish stew, which she thought was disgusting. I feel like putting a label on what each item of food was would be an easy thing to do. Dessert was profiteroles, log cake, custard and pavlova. These were all clearly directly from boxes and mostly went uneaten. We then did a Q&A with the host who was asked 4 questions. One she didn't know, one she couldn't seem to remember her prepared answer, one she answered properly, and a question about the Government's treatment of the Māori which was the only time of the night she showed any passion; to complain about how the Government does nothing for them, which seemed a strange thing to complain to tourists about. After the total of 4 questions about Māori culture (I had assumed she would go into a lot more detail) she ended it abruptly to move everyone to the second 'bushwalk' to see the glowworms. This bushwalk was the same paved path as before, and while you did technically see glowworms, in that you saw a few here and there, it seemed obvious to me the reason for this was to provide a 'polite' way to ensure all the guests left the hall and finished the tour. In summary; we are a couple in our 30's and were placed at a table with 7 teenage girls on a Contiki tour, who spent the entire night drinking and talking about everything-but-the-experience. Appropriate, as this tour seemed to rely on the audience being drunk, and then putting photos of their 'real Māori experience' on Instagram.
Great cultural experience and food
TristinK 13,May 13, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great way to experience Māori culture with entertainment and buffet dinner included. Large variety of food for the buffet which was fantastic.
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Operated by Mitai Maori Village