Rotorua - History, culture & cuisine

Dining out in Rotorua

TAKE A BITE OUT OF ROTORUA’S EXPANDING FOOD SCENE

BREAKFAST: For an exemplary eggs bene, Picnic Café serves breakfast from 7.30am until 2pm. Or, if you’re heading in or out of Rotorua from the northern side, Okere Falls Store flanks Highway 33 and boasts an organic range of sustainable produce.

LUNCH: Pop into Ambrosia Restaurant and Bar for Mediterranean tapas shared outdoors in a large alfresco area. Located at the lake end of Tutanekai St. Alternatively, Eat Streat is a vibrant dining precinct packed to the rafters with a diverse range of eateries.

DINNER: Hearty Mexican and Middle Eastern cuisine can be wolfed down at Abracadabra Café and Bar, Contemporary Terrace Kitchen never fails to please, or for something extra special, dine off the a la carte menu at The Regent Room.

Try traditional hangi (underground cooking) at Whakarewarewa The Living Māori Village, or enjoy an entire evening of entertainment and Māori cuisine as part of a te po indigenous evening experience at Te Puia.

Dining out in Rotorua

Destination Rotorua

LIVING HISTORY

Experience Rotorua’s history and delve into Māori culture at the Buried Village, Mitai Māori Village, Whakarewarewa – the Living Thermal Village or Tāmaki Māori Village.

Māori culture is an integral part of New Zealand society, and is central to life in Rotorua, which has one of the highest Māori populations in the country.

The people of Te Arawa tribe first settled in the Rotorua region, becoming the original tour guides to the thermal attractions. The spirit of hospitality (manaakitanga) is as important now as it was then and the guides still take tourists to the same thermal sites. They also recall Māori myths and legends through song, dance and storytelling.

Cooking kai, Rotorua

Te Puia

APPLAUD OUR CREATIVE ANCESTORS

TAP INTO TRADITIONAL MĀORI ARTS AND CRAFTS THAT HAVE BEEN PRACTICED FOR OVER 800 YEARS WITH A VISIT TO TE PUIA.

Located within Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley, Te Puia houses the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute and the national schools of carving, weaving and traditional arts. Watch master carvers and weavers working with wood, greenstone and bone, as well as weavers, traditional tattoo artists and talented designers.

TOP TIP: More examples of Māori artwork can be found in Rotorua’s gardens and public buildings, or you can follow the Public Arts Trail by grabbing a guide from the Rotorua i-SITE.

Preparing flax/harakeke for weaving

Te Puia

Looking for a place to stay? Find a huge range of accommodation options, including discounts for AA Members, at travel.aa.co.nz/Hotels