Places to See Before You Die: Maori Culture in Rotorua, New Zealand

It was raining cats and dogs when we visited, but it was still such a wonderful experience. I would advise doing the tour on a dry day if you can as we spent quite a lot of time meandering the village, which was clearly less enjoyable as it was really pouring down.

In Rotorua you can visit a Maori village built on hot springs. They will guide you through the village and
explain the many amazing ways the Maori cohabited and respected nature. It is a unique cultural experience.

The tour shows you the small Maori village with its distinctive architecture that actually seems to have eyes. They decorate their outside walls with shells that glimmer in the dark, looking like millions of eyes looking at you. I was told this works as a type of defence mechanism to intimidate intruders and unwanted visitors. They also show your their typical dance, serving a similar purpose.

In the tour they show you the area, which is impressive in and of itself, but the most fascinating part is how they use the natural thermic activity in their daily lives. The use their local hot springs not only for bath and leisure, but even daily chores such as cooking. It is inspiring to see how they interact with their surroundings, it is a natural and a cultural experience all at once, and I think we could learn a lot from them.