Maori tourism builds up steam

An interactive virtual tour will supplement attractions such as the famous Pohutu Geyser.

Te Puia, formerly known as the NZ Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, is pumping $20 million into a new tourism venture in the Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley, near Rotorua.

It said the project, including a new visitor centre, art gallery, carving and weaving schools, and the development of new tourism products, such as an interactive virtual tour of the mud pools and geysers, was the biggest-ever private investment in Maori tourism.

Resource consents had been approved and work would begin in April.

Nikki Wright, a spokeswoman for Te Puia, said the project made good business sense as Whakarewarewa was already New Zealand's second-most visited tourist attraction, behind Auckland's Sky City casino.

The new visitor centre would feature extensive exterior carvings telling the story of the Whakarewarewa Valley. The carvings would take a year to complete and would be created by the centre's past and present students and master carvers.

Te Puia chief executive Andrew Te Whaiti said the development would position it as the Maori cultural centre of New Zealand.

"The challenge is to create an experience for visitors to see the world through the eyes of Maori and develop an understanding of our culture, arts and crafts by using a variety of media and sensory activities," he said.

Te Puia launched several new features this summer, including installing state-of-the-art lighting in the valley to extend guided nature walks into the early evening.

The Living Pa was revitalised so that visitors could touch, smell and, in some cases taste, authentic demonstrations of how Maori used to live.

Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said Te Puia was "the sort of experience New Zealand's international visitors are seeking".


Carving a future
* Whakarewarewa is the second-most visited tourist attraction in the country, behind Auckland's Sky City casino.
* About 500,000 people visited last year.
* The new visitor centre will feature extensive exterior carvings.
* Taking a year to complete, they will be done by master carvers, past and present students.

- NZPA