Overall this was a cool experience and a glimpse i...

Overall this was a cool experience and a glimpse into how the M ori people lived before English settlers arrived. We started in the town of Rotorua at the HQ to watch a video on the culture before boarding the bus to the village. Our bus driver was great and had the whole bus laughing the whole ride there and back at the end of the night.

The bus driver assigned a chief who would be our leader around the Village. Our introduction to the village began with a M ori ceremony to figure out if our tribe was friends or foe. Once we were determined to be friendly we were allowed to enter the village and experience M ori culture in many different aspects women s life, cooking, and the men learned the Haka. Following that, we got to see how our food for the impending feast was cooked and then watched the villagers do traditional dances and games.

Then we got to eat. The meal was buffet style and all traditionally eaten foods. It was a very tasty selections of steamed meat and veggies followed by desserts. The people were very welcoming but overall the village did feel touristy but was a great introduction to M ori culture overall. Worth a visit for the cultural experience and education.