Te Manuka Tutahi Marae (Mataatua Wharenui) — Attraction in North Island

Amazing cultural experience! The main thing to look at is a Maori Carved meeting house and their tour of it is well worth the time an money. They walk you through the Maori introduction when entering a meeting place, tell you about their culture and art form. You get a really personal experience with the art and the culture. Before you leave the meeting house there is a light show revolving around 3 of the local myths/ancestors. This show completely blew me away! There's plenty of time to talk with the guide and ask questions, ours was Tame! At the end there was also a tea and snack time which was a nice conclusion. If you do not want to spend the money on the tour, they have a great visitor's center next to the house which holds a lot of information on the Maori culture, the history and heritage of the area and of the journey the meeting house took. There is also a 5 minute video you can watch for free. You can take a look around the outside of the meeting house, but can only go inside if there's not a tour or...

Our tour of Mataatua: The House That Came Home absolutely blew us away, we received a very gental but touching personal experience from the minute we walked in the doors. Being guided through the history of Mataatua, Whakatane, watching the light show and enjoying refreshments with our guide at the end is something we wont forget. This is a must see, you wont be disappointed. We'll be...

The story is fascinating. The site has been beautifully established. The Meeting house is marvelous. The standard of restoration has melded well with new and old. The staff are all knowledgeable and genuinely welcoming and friendly. The kumara Maori bread...