MITAI MAORI VILLAGE

Mitai Māori Village offers a cultural experience that not only gives you a glimpse of Māori culture, but also allows you to immerse yourself in it for a short while. Reservations are made for both a performance showcasing aspects of the culture and a traditional dinner, and it's the latter that makes all the difference. You feel welcomed as a guest, not a tourist. The speakers are all members of the same whānau (family) and present their traditions with emotion and authenticity. It is made clear on several occasions that any lack of respect will result in an interruption of the performance, making it clear to the visitor that we are not here at a show, but in a context of cultural sharing.

The balance between the two can be difficult to maintain, but here it is brilliantly orchestrated. At once serious, ceremonial and light-hearted, Mitai seems to have found the perfect recipe to inspire respect and well-placed curiosity. We leave with a furious desire to know more.

The meal, a traditional hāngī (food cooked in an oven dug into the ground to use geothermal heat as a cooking source), is an absolute treat. Buffet-style, you can refill at will and eat chicken, lamb, kumara - local sweet potatoes, at the heart of the Māori diet before the introduction of the potato by the Europeans - and potatoes (among other things) until your belly explodes!