Home > Bay of Islands > Haruru Falls and Waitangi River Tour on a Traditional Maori Waka with Guide
USD $99.00
Haruru Falls and Waitangi River Tour on a Traditional Maori Waka with Guide
Bay of Islands, New Zealand
Explore the calm waters of the Waitangi River estuary during a 3-hour voyage on a sturdy traditional canoe captained by an experienced local Maori guide. You'll learn native paddling techniques, visit Haruru Falls and look for wildlife, plus hear about Ngapuhi customs, legends and history. The guide teaches you a traditional war dance and takes you to see a Ngapuhi meeting house where you might get the chance to meet members of this Maori community.
Make your way to the Waitangi boat ramp where you meet your Ngapuhi guide. The Ngapuhi are the largest Maori tribe in New Zealand, and their ancestral home includes the Bay of Islands.
After a safety briefing, receive a life jacket and paddling lesson before stepping on board the 40-foot (12-meter) waka taua, a traditional-style canoe that is stable and sturdy. Set off on your tour through the tidal estuaries of the Waitangi River, traveling through a scenic landscape as you learn paddle techniques and how to maneuver your vessel. Your guide teaches you some Ngapuhi chants and a haka — a war dance that incorporates rhythmic foot-stomping, body slapping and chanting.
In about one hour, you'll arrive at Haruru Falls. Pause in front of the large waterfall to hear about the site’s spiritual significance, and then continue along the river to a marae on the riverside. A marae is the central meeting place of a Maori community and generally encompasses a meeting house decorated with intricate carvings, an open outdoor space, and cooking and eating areas. If you’re lucky, you might meet some of the local people before continuing your canoe tour.
Throughout your experience, you’ll hear stories of the Ngapuhi people, learn about age-old customs and look for local wildlife. After a fascinating three hours, your tour ends back at the starting point.
This was a great tour and a blast to do. Paddling the Waka was a bit of work but fun. Learning the chants and staying synchronized was a great experience. Hearing the Maori legends and stories was both informative and entertaining. I recommend it and if you book via Viator it is significantly less expensive than through the cruise ship.
Review by: Sue O, March 2017
While there were only a few of us, the experience was well worth it. Our Maori Guide, dressed appropriately in Maori costume, Rob taught us how to paddle the Waka - quite different from rowing - the appropriate cadences and explained a lot about Maori history. On the trip we stopped to explore a created village and again Rob explained the rituals, customs and history associated with some of the Maori culture. The waterfalls were stunning and the whole tour was a very good precursor to visiting the Treaty Grounds.
Review by: YvonneSylvia, October 2016
I really recommend this excursion, I enjoyed it from the start to the end, the comments, the beautiful landscape, the people informing about Maori history....
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