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Step into one of the world’s last great rainforests on a guided cultural walk through Whirinaki from Rotorua. Hear Māori stories, learn ancient knowledge & enjoy a picnic lunch with hot Kawakawa Tea!

Highlights

• Immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the Whirinaki Forest on a guided tour
• Learn about the Maori culture and history of the forest from your local guide
• Enjoy a packed picnic lunch infused with local cuisine in the forest
• Discover the natural medicine plants and the native and endangered birds
• Experience the health benefits of 'forest bathing' and connect with nature

Description

Step into another world on a fully guided Māori cultural walking experience deep inside the awe-inspiring Jurassic Podocarp Native Rainforest of Whirinaki. Depart from Rotorua and journey less than an hour into one of Aotearoa’s most untouched natural treasures, where your Māori hosts will welcome you into the forest they have cared for over generations. Begin your adventure at 8:30 AM from the Rotorua i-SITE (check-in 8:15 AM) with a complimentary shuttle to the forest. On arrival at the waharoa (gateway), you’ll be greeted with a Mihi Whakatau (welcome) and Karakia (prayer) to prepare you spiritually and physically for the journey ahead. Follow your guides along 2.5 km of pristine native trails, where every step reveals the living history of the forest. Stand before Ngā Rākau Rangatira — the chiefly trees — including ancient tōtara over 1,000 years old. Learn about rongoā Māori (traditional medicine plants), hear the calls of endangered native birds, and immerse yourself in stories, myths, and legends passed down through generations. Feel the magic of Whirinaki during moments of Forest Bathing, designed to reconnect you with the energy, vibrations, and stillness of the natural world. As your guides perform traditional chants and play Māori wind instruments, you’ll experience the true wairua (spirit) of the forest. Midway through your journey, enjoy a delicious picnic lunch infused with local flavours, with time to kōrero (chat) with your guides about culture, history, identity, or environmental knowledge. Your experience concludes with a warming cup of Kawakawa Tea, a treasured traditional medicinal brew, before your comfortable return shuttle begins its journey back toward Rotorua. But the experience isn’t over yet. On the way home, your guides will take you to Te Ana a Tokowaru, home to the oldest Māori rock carvings in New Zealand. Unmarked and unseen by the general public, this special site is accessed by a short bush walk into ancient caves that were carbon-dated to over 400 years before the Great Migration. Here, you’ll learn the real history of the arrival of our people to Aotearoa — stories rarely shared beyond our communities. As your guides and drivers entertain you with humour, music, kōrero and connection on the final leg back to Rotorua, you’ll leave with memories, learning, laughter, cultural understanding, and a deep sense of belonging to this land and its stories.

Includes

Complimentary bus trip from and back to Rotorua Guided cultural walking experience Packed picnic lunch infused with local cuisine Hot Kawakawa Tea

Important Information

• Pick up from the Rotorua I-Site. Please arrive at 8.15am to check in, with tour departing 8.30am. Please bring your water bottle, insect repellent, camera, any medications you might need, rain jacket or wind breaker, jersey, sunscreen, lip balm, sensible walking shoes. Your tour guide will drive you 45 minutes out of Rotorua to Murupara, where you will have a toilet stop and pick up your forest guide and picnic lunches. From there, it is another 30 - 40 minute drive up into the Native Rainforest. The roads are a little windy, so if you get travel sickness, you might want to take motion sickness tablets before you depart. Your tour will also stop on the way back into town at the oldest Maori Rock Carvings in New Zealand, carbon dated 400 years before the Great Migration. Here we will share with you the real history of the arrival of Maori to Aotearoa. Your tour will return to Rotorua at approximately 3.30pm.

Easy cancellation

Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund