To me, New Zealand is one of the best examples of the phrase “heaven on earth”. It is stunning in every way. From their geography to history to their people whom are affectionately known as “Kiwis” and not to forget, the Maoris. Upon the very mention of New Zealand, vast pieces of lands, mountains, seas immediately came to my mind. This may be due to the beautiful scenes from Lord of the Rings that are etched at the back of my head. It is a place of both serenity and endless adventure.
Zooming in, I would like to focus on Rotorua, one of the more popular destinations in New Zealand located on the North Island. My perception of Rotorua is greatly linked to geysers and steam coming up from the ground and volcanoes as it is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Not to forget the extensive range of Maori experiences one will get if they visit Rotorua as it is well known as the heartland of Maori culture. It’s a place where cultures blend to form something new. It is a destination where you get to see and experience many difference forms of activities which is what differentiate it from the South Island which is mainly for adventure and nature lovers.
A quick glimpse of Rotorua's tourism!
New Zealand’s culture is derived from a special mix of British, European, Maori and Polynesian roots due to its history and Rotorua, being part of New Zealand shares this culture too. Rotorua is renowned for their growing community of local artists, performers and historical buildings that is very European inspired, however, Maori’s history, buildings and traditions represents the main culture of the place as it is where the Maoris are predominantly found. 1/3 of the population is made up of Maori people in Rotorua which is the main reason why the culture of Rotorua is so closely linked to Maori.
One of the more popular and well known indigenous groups in the world has got to be Maori. It is so distinct and is often the first thing that comes to many minds at the very mention of New Zealand even though the entire Maori population only makes up 14.9% right now.
Maori has their own set of traditions and culture that is unparallel to other indigenous group which is what makes them exclusive to Rotorua, New Zealand. These traditions can be found in their arts, greetings and food.
Ta Moko is a permanent face and body art which is similar to today’s tattoo. However, Moko is a sacred art and instead of just being decorative it symbolises strength, courage and status. Moko is usually done from the start of adolescence to mark significant events throughout their life. Maoris usually get their first Moko during their transition of childhood to adulthood. Maori men are usually tattooed on the face, the buttocks and the legs whereas Maori women are only tattooed on the lips and chin.
Moko is unique as needles were not used for tattooing in the olden days, instead, chisels were used and it is often a long and painful process. The ink used for face tattoo is made from burned wood while the ink used for tattooing the body is made of an organism that is half vegetable and half caterpillar.
Here's a video to show you the traditional method of Moko!
Warning: Viewer discretion is advised May cause discomfort.
A few Maori Moko designs done with modern tattoo equipment
Carving is also part of Maori's culture. Te Toi Whakairo is the art of Māori carving. Ever wondered why Maori carvings are detailed and eye catching? That is because carving used to be a way to pass down stories and legends to future generations before the arrival of Europeans Māori literature. Maori men usually crave on natural resources like wood, bone and stone as these are the materials that are available to them in the past.
Wood carvings
Bone carving
Before the start of every rugby game, you’ll see the All Blacks team belting out a ‘dance’ which is none other than one of Maori’s war dance, Ka Mate. There are more than one type of Haka and is usually performed as a pre-battle challenge to enemies to leave an impression of invincibility. If you noticed, Maoris often like to stick out their tongues and open their eyes wide while doing the Haka, this is to give their enemies a warning that they will not only defeat them but eat them up.
However, Haka can be danced on different occasions. Be it on the arrival of someone significant or other important events in certain community. All Blacks have successfully brought this tradition of Haka to the world and Haka is one of the stand outs in Maori culture.
All Blacks' view on Haka
All Blacks' Haka before a match
Powhiri is a Maori welcome and is held usually in The Marae (Maori meeting grounds) or anywhere the host decides to welcome his visitors. There are several steps to Powhiri. One of the steps includes Waiata (Maori welcome song) and Hongi.
An example of Waiata by a Maori Family
Maori people have their own way of greeting one another which is referred as Hongi which literally means exchanging the breath of life. Noses and forehead of both parties are pressed together as they believe that they should be no separation between humans. This method of greeting is still used right now and when done so, the other party is said to be “one of their people”
Maoris also have their special way of cooking, Hangi. It is a method of cooking in the ground with hot stones usually also known as “the underground oven”. The food used to be wrapped in leaves but currently, aluminium is used instead for convenience. Hangi is very popular in Rotorua and many restaurants are providing Hangi.
How to cook a Hangi
It can be agreed that Maori culture is still authentic to a certain extent from the point of view of a tourist as they might not know the true Maori culture to know what to expect from what they are experiencing. Tourists would absorb the information that is given to them and assume that it is authentic. Furthermore, with such attractions that promise visitors an “authentic experience”, there are higher chances that tourists would believe what they experience are authentic.
“The Maori people really worked hard and warmly to give everyone from overseas an authentic Maori Village & Cultural experience out in the Countryside which made me feel so proud to be part Maori. The Village layout & Show was definitely something great and other world for overseas visitors to see another real side to Maori NZers!” – Allblacksfan65 from Trip Advisor on Tamaki Maori Village
Rotorua is trying very hard to sustain and be as authentic as possible when it comes sharing their culture. Maori villages are kept the way it was although improvements have been made to better showcase the history of Maori in the village by changing part of the setting to what it was like in the olden days.
As Rotorua is the hottest destination for Maori cultural tourism, 86% of the tourists head to Rotorua with the main purpose of immersing themselves in Maori unique culture. Rotorua also promotes itself as the best destination to experience authentic Maori culture. Tourism would have impacted the authenticity of their original culture in a way. It can be classified under socio cultural impacts. Since many visit Rotorua for Maori experience there may be commodification of the culture to adapt to the needs of tourists which in turn might lead to loss of authenticity in the long run.
Mitai Maori Village
For example, Mitai and Tamaki Maori village are opening up to be an attraction where tourists pay to experience Maori culture for themselves. Activities and shows at these attractions are staged for the tourists just so that they would be able to picture and have a better understanding of Maori culture. The village adapts elements of their culture to their visitor’s tastes instead of really showing their real way of life. There is a series of activities lined up for tourists once they enter the village.
However, tourism might also encourage and raise the awareness of importance and value of the Maori culture and lead to conservation of the culture for the future generation.
“The arrival of the war canoe was fantastic and really set the scene in a beautiful river setting. The Maori show was entertaining and informative really shedding light on Maori culture with some comedy thrown in for good measure.” –Traveladdictmadrid from Trip Advisor
For example, the culture show at Mitai village is altered and comedy was being thrown in so that audience would be engaged and have a great time. But while inserting comedy, isn’t the real culture being altered?
Furthermore, many may be intrigued by the beauty of Maori's Moko on their trip and end up getting a Modern Moko for themselves. Moko means more than just a form of decorative art to the Maoris, it is their form of identity and is significant to them. However, with the increased interest, Moko may be altered for others' preference and this is seen as an insult by the Maoris as it will seem as though, you are stealing and changing their culture which in turn cause the loss of authenticity of their culture.
Rotorua’s calendar of events is mainly focused on Music and Sports. There is a strong tradition of music in Rotorua, one of which is Choral singing that is enriched with Maori and Pacific Islanders singing traditions. Sports also make up a big part of Rotorua’s culture, considering that they are huge on fitness. Their biggest event is Paymark XTERRA Rotorua Festival which is also the biggest multisport event in New Zealand. Sports not only play an importance in Rotorua but the whole New Zealand. This may be due to their abundance of land and water bodies which allows them to engage in many types of sports. Sports are so important that organisation such as SPARC is created to promote sports and recreation.
(click HERE to see the whole list of events)
Globalization has made it easier for information to be passed around and it is to no surprise that the principles of Disneyization are trending all around the world this instant. Many destinations are adopting Disneyization’s principles seeing how commercially successful Disneyland has become.
The four characteristics of Disneyization are theming, hybrid consumption, merchandising and performative labour and these principles are definitely evident in the development of Rotorua.
Theming is the subsuming places of consumption under narrative themes.
For example, Rotorua is themed into Attractions and Adventure, Maori Culture, Thermal and Natural Wonders to name a few. It is themed in a way where tourists would know where to go according to their interest and places of the same interest are found near one another.
Furthermore, there are also themed accommodation and restaurants too. One example would be Four Canoes Hotel which is a Maori themed accommodation.
Hybrid consumption refers to the fusion of different forms of consumption into one single destination so tourists will be motivated to stay for a longer period. You can find accommodation, food and beverage, attractions and shopping malls all in Rotorua. There is just so much you can do there which also makes it convenient for tourists.
Merchandising refers to the production and sale of items based on their bearing a copyrighted logo which attracts further revenue of what already attracted the tourists. Kiwi birds are New Zealand’s most iconic animal which serves as a branding of New Zealand. In Rotorua, besides kiwi related merchandise which is one of the more popular merchandise, Maori related crafts also sold in Rotorua.
Kiwi related souvenirs
Maori dolls
Performative labour refers to provision of services that involve a performance component whereby employees are expected to display positive emotions or moods. Just like the host and villagers at the Maori village, they are enthusiastic in sharing their culture and welcoming tourists with open arms. It might be a bad day for some of them but they would hide it with a smile on their face.
The beauty of Rotorua and Maori’s culture cannot be fully expressed in words. There is nothing better than experiencing it for ourselves. After researching about Rotorua and looking through so many photos, I am awestruck by its society, culture and tourism. This has encouraged me to find out even more about it. Due to globalization, it is to no surprise that most indigenous groups are gradually losing parts of their authentic culture, however Rotorua is able to sustain Maori culture and incorporate it with science. Just like how there is a Maori and scientific explanation to the same geothermal activity. Rotorua is not only beautiful tangibly but also intangibly.
