Tamaki Tours Review

Loved the cultural show it made me proud to be Kiwi. It was entertaining and educational as well, the walkthrough the bush was very educational and well worth it. Food was good too . Hangi, yum! Been there 3times now and would go again.

Interesting tour, integrating indigenous cultural story into local tourism development

What an amazing experience my wife and I had visiting the Tamaki Maori Village , This is a must do for anyone visiting Rotorua. From the welcome onto the village, the singing, and the beautiful meal that was provided. And our bus driver Dennis, with his singing and humor. You will will be disappointed if you don't make this part of your plans to visit Rotorua.

A office of Tamaki Maori village. And also a gathering point to go to actual Maori village. Waiting lounge is really relaxing and has awesome modified chopper bike.

Perfectly enjoyed every bit of it, learning about the Maori culture, the initial welcoming formalities, the performances,the haka and the hangi feast. Even my kids enjoyed it to the fullest.
A fun and a memorable experience!! Absolutely loved it!!

Tamaki Maori Village generously hosted me for the night during a fundraising venture on the North Island. It's a must see for anyone visiting NZ.

This is a place where you can experience Maori culture. It can be a bit difficult if you don't speak English. You can lose the fun if you go too much. If you are Korean, you can think that the price is a bit expensive. Thank you for the last bus.

Without a doubt, the most memorable experience I will take away with me from my brief visit in New Zealand. I learnt a lot, but more importantly found myself loving your culture. - "Chief" Bryson

As a Maori person myself, it's really awesome to see somewhere offering an entertaining and enjoyable was of showing the world our culture. I had come to show my Canadian friend some more of my culture, and was just as interested as she was. Awesome to see what they're doing and the hangi was almost as good as my uncle's

Educational, friendly and fun. The buffet is great too!

Experience Maori life and culture with dinner at the end.

Great evening. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. It was a very engaging experience which made it very enjoyable. The performances and the buffet dinner was great!

It was very interesting all the visit I liked very much the Maori show and the carving of a punamou stonr

If you want to get an idea of Maori history and culture
this is the place

Absolutely excellent experience and a must do if you are visiting Rotorua. The bus collection was very accommodating when we were running late and the entertainment on the bus, during the evening and on the way home was engaging and educational. Highly recommended. I would have preferred to have tasted some more traditional / authentic Maori foods and Tohu Wine.

Really helpful staff. Well organised and lots of information.

Very nice experience about Maori culture. Enjoyed very much Haka dance and traditional foods there

Fantastic and Dennis the bus driver is an absolutely a gem .

Great staff, the bus ride from the office to the village is surprising enjoyable. Great intro to Maori culture.

Enjoyable evening with good food and entertainment.

I had such a great time getting to know the Maori culture! I decided to stay overnight, which I certainly didn't regret. The people are very welcoming, and you see they're very passionate about what they're doing. The food we got was also very tasty!

Rotorua is one of the top go-tos for people wanting to learn about and experience Maori culture. Among the different local encounters is the Tamaki Maori Village, which boasts being the most awarded cultural attraction in New Zealand. Visitors can stay overnight at the village, where they will learn about local customs, history and mythology. They can also watch some cultural performances before feasting on a traditional Hangi meal.

Very authentic, lovely sharing people, entertainment value was a 10.

Should offer tickets for people who want to watch the maori dance and not join the food.

Staff are beautiful ladies. Helpful and funny. Such a pleasure to meet them. We had 8 in our group. We had a wonderful night there. It was freezing but I would not have missed it. Our bus driver was funny. Pay respect when you are there. You are on their country. So important.

It was freezing cold, raining, no umbrellas offered so we stood out getting wet for well over an hour, the speakers didn't all know what they were talking about, often stumbling over the words trying to remember, the cultural performance was average and very short and the food was plain and a very small selection. Wouldn't go back.

Had a wonderful time. A must visit in Rotorua. The dinner was amazing.

It is a very good show that reflects the Maori culture with an adequate explanation and very good shows of songs and dances, accompanied by a hearty meal with typical dishes. Yes, if it rains bring suitable elements because there is plenty of outdoor activity!

Great show and great host Liam for tonight. It was the highlight of our stay. Highly recommended. Great food and company. Thank you.

This is where the tour meets for a simple video. Not enough seats for everyone who has booked in so get there early

Myself and my friends can only assume that the other people rating this as 4 or 5 stars were taken to a completely different reality where the concept of value for money and professionalism means nothing. The performances weren t rehearsed until moments before the actual show in front of all the guests at hushed volumes. If this was a true representation of Maori culture and the daily norms and practices of the Maori people then their ability to sustain themselves for as long as they have with such great esteem globally is one of life s true miracles and mysteries.

We have been fleeced for $130 and can only Assume the owners are laughing on a yacht in the middle of the Pacific and probably aren t Maori.

The best part of the night has been the long, hot journey home in the brand new bus punctuated by 6 laps of a roundabout while forcing participation in a travel song which in the context of overcooked lamb, mussels and chicken has inspired a turn of my stomach only rivalled by the feeling of entrapment during the closing ceremony.

Luckily the only thing getting me through is the knowledge that when we get back to our disgraceful motel we can plunge our heads under water in the mineral pool with the distinct possibility of suffering amoebic meningitis hopefully causing enough brain damage to completely wipe the memory of Temaki village.

Kia Ora! A fantastic authentic cultural experience with earth-oven buffet (Hangi) and traditional song & dance (Haka and more).

Very interesting, lots of fun, lovely people, loads to see and do and join in! Great food too and lots of it. A must do

Very very good for a glimpse of Maoridom from way back. Hangi Kai delish.

Very welcoming and gave clear instructions on what to expect

Great evening with interesting talks, fun activities, tasty food and lots of entertainment. Well organised transport to and from location, really friendly staff. Only down side was the coach's AC wasn't working so was quite warm.

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.

An interesting and very fun evening! They were very open and friendly and answered all our questions. And the dinner was delicious! Thanks!

Best experience ever! You must visit this place to get a taste of the Maori culture & lifestyle. No regrets whatsoever :) Have fun!

A must to experience when you are in NZ. Great food great dorms.

Really informative and fun. Funny, friendly, intelligent hosts,Welcoming experience. Good food, plenty to see. If you go to a session where food is provided, try to inter t with a stranger at the dinner table. In the spirit of the day.

One of the best experiences of our 6 week trip to NZ. So authentic and such a great team of staff. Definitely worth a visit.

Great experience. They are passionate and bring the Maori culture to life.

Good experience, very interactive and educational, great food (hangi). A bit rushed when finished however.

Highly informative and entertaining. Excellent dinner

Had a great night, everyone was so welcoming, food was amazing! But most importantly the bus ride home took the cake, bus driver was hilarious. I highly recommend this experience!

A big than you to our guide Rob he kept us entertained throughout the journey had a wonderful experience with lots lot of laughs along the way brilliant!!

Very enjoyable tour of a recreation of a Maori village, and the bus driver was incredibly amusing too

Everyone was friendly and welcoming. This is a great experience that welcomes international travelers.The show and dinner were a great experience for both adults and children. I highly reccomend this experience.

I felt very proud as New Zealanders taking American friends to Tamaki Village.
It was professional, our hosts were warm, informative and humorous. Dinner yummy.
Memorable experience

The office is nice and clean. The staff are friendly. Tons of information about the Tamaki Maori Village is provided. Literature is provided in more than 8 languages.

You can enjoy M ori dance, enjoy M ori dinner, understand the M ori cooking style, and learn more about M ori culture. Through live performances and interactive games with performers, it is a worthwhile trip

Fantastic evening having a Maori Hongi dinner. The hosts were informative and entertaining. The food was delicious. Definitely a highlight to our trip to New Zealand/Rotorua

I'd read a lot of reviews about Tamaki, many good, some bad, and as a result had mild expectations. I was expecting it to be a little cheesy, a bit of a tourist trap. I was wrong. Of course it exists primarily for tourism, but there is something to be gained here. The passion of the performances was impressive. The staff were very funny, friendly and knowledgable. The food was good, also better than I expected. And most importantly, I walked away from this with a deeper appreciation for Maori language and culture, which is why I came in the first place.

Such a great evening ! The Hangi dinner was delicious. If you plan to visit Rotorua area, don't miss it !

Fantastic. Very educational, entertaining, and a beautifully cooked meal as well.

13 years ago we bought our friends from the Uk to go through the Tamaki Village...well....last night we bought them back.....amazing....the difference from then to now.....the evening was absolutely fantastic....right from the bus ride with Bill and commentator Joe, the awesome ritual of the powhiri, going through and around the houses, allowing the visitors to experience the skills of the Maori, the beautiful performance on stage by the Maori maidens to the powerful haka by the warriors and the very tasty hangi food......well done one and all...thank you for a wonderful evening....

Excellent !! They really make you feel like part of their family. Personal treatment with great affection, very good food and quantity and quality show with very good voices singing.

If I could have marked a 0 star I would. My family and i are visting from Australia to visit my best friennds family and the bus driver that pick us up for what we thought was going to be the best culture experience started off very horribly wrong. The bus driver was speaking very inappropriately to my family. The dinner and show was great but felt it was not authentic and very staged and unfortunately the night was spoilt from the bus driver it was hard to come back from that and make it a fun and enjoyable night If this is the culture of the Maori people it's a real shame my best friend's family are so welcoming unlike this place its made me not want to have my family here. If you could contact me It would be very much appreciated.

Indescribably good. Every single one in the village (located in the forest outside of Rotorua) was extremely busy and passionate about it. Very good organization, communication and transfer from / to the hotel. For $ 117 not cheap, but worth every cent to get to know the Maori history and culture.

Not that worth for $130 for dinner and so-called maori cultural village, not that amazing performance recommended by other traveller in hostel, but I would prefer Te Puia if next time come back Rotorua.

Performances were great. Food was great. Did sleep there with very uncomfortable beds. Communal facilities. Am guessing M ori members don t currently live like this.