



by Te Pa Tu - The Gathering Place
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Book on Viator Confirmed right away, but you pay full price.$327.04The Te Pā Tū Cultural Evening takes place in Rotorua at a forest village surrounded by tall Tawa trees, featuring open-air bonfires and a natural forest amphitheatre. The event lasts about three hours in the evening and follows the Māori lunar calendar seasons, known as the maramataka. During summer, the program focuses on the harvest season, ancient Māori warfare, and peace rituals. In winter, it celebrates the arrival of the Matariki star cluster and the start of the new lunar year. The evening begins with a traditional Māori welcome ceremony and includes performances of songs, stories, and rituals that relate to the current season. Guests first receive indigenous canapés called kai horotai. Then, they take a torch-lit walk to the forest amphitheatre, where a three-course Māori fusion feast featuring seasonal cuisine is served. Return transport from a central meeting point in Rotorua is included, with air conditioning provided in the vehicle. Alcoholic drinks and gratuities are not included. A vegetarian meal option is available if requested at the time of booking. Guests may use cameras and video equipment throughout the evening. The venue can accommodate collapsible wheelchairs with removable wheels if the passenger is accompanied by someone who can assist with boarding and disembarking. Bookings should be reconfirmed 24 hours before the event.
Te Pā Tū shares Māori history, traditions, and cultural aspirations across 3.5 hours of celebration and feasting. Feast on song, drama, tradition, and divine seasonal kai (cuisine) within our forest Pā (village) –blanketed by towering Tawa trees, blazing bonfires, and forest-formed amphitheatre. These events change with each season of the maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar. Tū Te Rā – Summer Harvest Celebration (October - April): Across this lunar phase, the sun expresses optimal energy, the days are longer, and light nourishes the natural world. Tū Te Rā celebrates abundant harvest and explores concepts, rituals, and stories of ancient Māori warfare and peace. Tū Te Ihi - Winter Matariki Celebration (May - September): \ Tū Te Ihi includes the time in the earth’s cycle when Matariki stars are high and bright in winter skies. Te Ihi references the energy and passion stirred by the Matariki cluster and the promise they herald.
180 min