Māori Whakatau Welcome
5
Full view
Māori Whakatau Welcome
By WanaHaka Tours
Recommended by 97% of travelers
This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher
from per adult
$24.89
from per adult
$24.89
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 2-95, max of 30 per group
Duration: 40–60 minutes
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
English
- Private transportation
- Entry/Admission - Lake Wanaka
What's not included- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
- Authentic Māori Bone Carving of your experience
- WanaHaka Tea Towel Souvenir
- Departure details
- #ThatWanakaTree, Roys Bay, 59 Wanaka Mount Aspiring Road, Wānaka 9305, New Zealand There are two different meeting points used for the Māori Welcome so the day before your scheduled booking you will be advised on this platform in your messages on your booking location and all the Māori Tikanga/protocol for the Welcome.
- Glendhu Bay Track, Ruby Island Road, Wānaka 9382, New Zealand There are two different meeting points used for the Māori Welcome so the day before your scheduled booking you will be advised on this platform in your messages on your booking location and all the Māori Tikanga/protocol for the Welcome.
Return details- Returns to original departure point
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 73623P1- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Most travelers can participate
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- What you can expect during your visit
- Regular temperature checks for staff
- Guides required to regularly wash hands
- Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
- Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Community- Safety precautions are provided by the property and are not checked by Tripadvisor for accuracy.
- How much is Māori Whakatau Welcome?
- Māori Whakatau Welcome price starts from $22.89. Discover and book Māori Whakatau Welcome on Tripadvisor
- What is the Māori Whakatau Welcome cancellation policy?
- Māori Whakatau Welcome cancellation policy: For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience. Discover and book Māori Whakatau Welcome on Tripadvisor
- Which company provides Māori Whakatau Welcome?
- Māori Whakatau Welcome is hosted by WanaHaka Tours. Read reviews, discover additonal experiences or contact WanaHaka Tours on Tripadvisor. Discover and book Māori Whakatau Welcome on Tripadvisor
- How much time do I need for Māori Whakatau Welcome?
- On average, this experience will take approximately 40m. Discover and book Māori Whakatau Welcome on Tripadvisor
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 73623P1
Itinerary
- You’ll have 2 starting optionsSee departure details
- 1Lake WanakaStop: 45 minutes - Admission includedIn Māori culture we hold two important aspects dear to us. the first being Manaakitanga (Hospitality) and Kaitiakitanga (guardianship of the land) .At WanaHaka® we want you to connect with these 2 important cultural elements. This Pōwhiri can be done in either Queenstown or Wanaka so please do email first as to your preferred location if required. You will be greeted by a Wero/Challenge with a Māori Warrior and Taiaha, from here we move through the key elements of the pōwhiri/welcome where we may start as strangers but by the end we end up as whanaua/family. A truely inspiring cultural experience that combines both the people and the land of Wanaka and Queenstown.Read more
- You'll return to the starting point
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator.
Ashley D
00Amazing experience - couldn't recommend enough
As beginners to wine, Joe provided us with an amazing introduction to Wanaka's incredible wines and Maori culture. …
21heidif
00An absolute vibe
Incredible knowledge of the local area and beautiful insight into the Maori culture. Joe was very friendly and even…
mreidybartels
00Outstanding Tour, Already Booked Another One!
Joe is an absolute delight! We had the best day with him touring Queenstown area wineries. He taught us so much abo…
bartelsha
00Amazing wine, incredible views, and all the culture
Joe is an awesome guide and an even more amazing guy! We loved our one of a kind experience with him and could not …
Kendra G
00Excellent combination tour
We lucked out and ended up with a private tour with Joe. He was on time and picked us up at our hotel in his clean …
Pathfinder633294
00A perfect combination!
We spent a fantastic day with Joe and friends. Hard to believe this tour met up with the high expectations set by p…
Nzjoy123
00A truly unique Māori experience
Wanahaka Māori cultural experience with Joe was the highlight of our trip to Queenstown, New Zealand! Took 7 ladies…
Kareneromano
00Such a special treat!
Such a wonderful day! Joe picked us up for our tour and shared the history of the Māori culture and personally gree…
TravellerWKids
00E-Bikes, Wine Tasting and Culture
We had a great day with our guide Joe. Joe was great and took us to 3 different wineries. My wife loved the E-Bik…
Passport488753
00The perfect tour!
A perfect tour for us with both wine and cultural knowledge sharing. From the moment Joe picked us up at our accomm…
972hannahh
00Definitely go for this tour!
We had the most amazing time on our tour with Joe. He was so knowledgable on the wine in this region and taught us …
StevenSwallow
00Express wine tour
Excellent experience thanks Joe for a lovely wine 🍷 tour to two vineyards, really enjoyed it thanks for the bottl…
donnalafleche
00Great Wine Tour
This was no doubt one of the best wine tours we have experienced. Joe is an excellent guide and his vast knowledge…
philiptO7200US
00Wine and Māori culture
The full day Queenstown wine tour with Joe was remarkable in every sense. We completed around 20 tasting at three d…
Nataliecandice93
00Best tour guide in the south!
My best friend and I went on Joes Wine and Māori culture tour and I can honestly say it was one of the most memorab…
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
48 reviews
Excellent
47
Very good
0
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
1
Elizabeth J
1 contribution
Mar 2023 • Couples
This was one of the highlights of our trip! Joe is an excellent teacher and storyteller and taught us so much about Māori culture. He stayed late to continue answering everyone’s questions and you can really tell that he loves his work. Highly recommend!
Written March 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
JoeW3438
Ngā mihi for the kind words, I am so glad you learnt more about Tikanga and Māori history of the region on your trip to Wānaka with WanaHaka. Mā te wā/Until next time Joe
Written March 16, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lee T
Melbourne, Vic10 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
Thank you for our welcome to N.Z Joe, this has set such a beautiful tone for our trip this week. Both the children and adults came away with a deeper appreciation of your culture and are already wearing the carvings you bestowed upon them. We highly recommend this experience for anyone traveling to this magical part of the world.
Written June 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
JoeW3438
Lee and whānau, was so awesome to deliver the Māori welcome to you and your wonderful kids. Very glad you learned a lot on the beautiful shores of Lake Wānaka.
Mā te wā/Until next time Joe
Written July 6, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Mark S
3 contributions
Mar 2023
We would like to extend our gratitude to Joe Waide (Māori tribal warrior) who’s presentation and cultural performance yesterday, were outstanding.
What better way to formally welcome our delegates and attendees (all Aussies) and to show our respect, our acknowledgment and admiration to the history, the heritage, to the Land, the culture and to the ancestry and people of Queenstown, via Joe’s ‘reception greeting’. Haere mai, ngā manuhiri tūārangi
And Joe performed his ‘traditional welcome greeting’ with passion, with pride, with dignity and with a great deal of enthusiasm. It also brought about a sense of complete respect for each of us during the ‘ceremony’ – including the acceptance and receiving the branch, the Hongi etc.
I was most impressed by this Hongi and ceremony and the commentary and feedback from our delegates has been extremely positive and ever-so respectful as well.
So, we extend our many thanks to Joe and wish him all the very best. It certainly created and enhanced the Opening Address and Welcome to Congress. We will have no hesitation to recommend him for future events and obviously, if we are to return to Q’town, we will seek him out again.
Kind regards,
Mark Stephen
Managing Director
Civitas Services Australia
What better way to formally welcome our delegates and attendees (all Aussies) and to show our respect, our acknowledgment and admiration to the history, the heritage, to the Land, the culture and to the ancestry and people of Queenstown, via Joe’s ‘reception greeting’. Haere mai, ngā manuhiri tūārangi
And Joe performed his ‘traditional welcome greeting’ with passion, with pride, with dignity and with a great deal of enthusiasm. It also brought about a sense of complete respect for each of us during the ‘ceremony’ – including the acceptance and receiving the branch, the Hongi etc.
I was most impressed by this Hongi and ceremony and the commentary and feedback from our delegates has been extremely positive and ever-so respectful as well.
So, we extend our many thanks to Joe and wish him all the very best. It certainly created and enhanced the Opening Address and Welcome to Congress. We will have no hesitation to recommend him for future events and obviously, if we are to return to Q’town, we will seek him out again.
Kind regards,
Mark Stephen
Managing Director
Civitas Services Australia
Written March 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
JoeW3438
Ngā mihi/Many thanks Mark, coming from the MD means so much to me and to have 130 or so of your team there was so powerful and they could feel the Mana, and glad you loved your trip to Wānaka and Queenstown with WanaHaka.
Written March 16, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
JohnNZ-UK
Christchurch, New Zealand67 contributions
May 2021 • Business
We had a large group and we all thoroughly the whakatau traditional welcome experience in Queenstown.
Joe passionately explained the meanings behind everything he did and we all walked away feeling we learnt alot and had a great time doing it.
Joe performed 2 haka and we were amazed at the stories and message that went with them.
All our group found Joe really likeable and easy to talk to.
If you want a genuine Māori experience and to feel well looked after I'd recommend Wanahaka. 👌
Joe passionately explained the meanings behind everything he did and we all walked away feeling we learnt alot and had a great time doing it.
Joe performed 2 haka and we were amazed at the stories and message that went with them.
All our group found Joe really likeable and easy to talk to.
If you want a genuine Māori experience and to feel well looked after I'd recommend Wanahaka. 👌
Written May 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
JoeW3438
The Mihi whakataū/Māori welcome is such a privilege to share and being able to do it with 70 NZ College of Tourism students was very special. Mā te wā/Until next time Joe
Written June 1, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Simone A
Melbourne, Australia3 contributions
Jun 2022 • Business
We were privileged to have Joe open our conference with a traditional Māori welcome . He also spent time giving a moving explanation of the
Haka and other elements of Māori tradition . It was a highlight of our day . I would thoroughly recommend Having joe work with you on your special event. Thanks joe
Haka and other elements of Māori tradition . It was a highlight of our day . I would thoroughly recommend Having joe work with you on your special event. Thanks joe
Written June 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
JoeW3438
Ngā mihi Simone, thanks for reaching out from Australia for your conference welcome. I am so glad you all learnt a lot and it was my privilege to be a part of it.
Mā te wā/Until next time Joe
Written July 6, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Macleod1076908
Macduff, UK39 contributions
Mar 2023
Was supposed to go on Māori welcome but we never received the email with location and details. We went to isite office in Wanaka 15 minutes before it was supposed to start to find out where exactly we were supposed to meet. Girls there tried contacting Joe by email, msg and phoning but no reply. They told us to try at Wanaka tree because sometimes it was there, so we walked there but no. Asked Joe by email if we could go for next morning instead as we had tried for 45 minutes to find where we were supposed to be. All we got back was no tour is full and the 10 other people received their email. Though ours was sent to my email we never received it. If I had we would not have spent 45 minutes looking for him. We then emailed a few times on separate occasions asking for a refund never to be answered. On the last one I asked about the refund again and mentioned I was going to do my trip advisor review in the next couple of days. The reply I did receive was the refund has been sent (I received half of it) and that my emails were threatening and if I thought my review would affect him he would have it removed when he showed them all my threatening emails. Not sure how asking for a refund and mentioning trip advisor is threatening. This is all so sad as both of us really wanted to be part of the Māori welcome, definitely not now.
Sorry for the long story but only way to explain. Btw still awaiting reply on my last email to find out if I am getting the other half of my money back.
Sorry for the long story but only way to explain. Btw still awaiting reply on my last email to find out if I am getting the other half of my money back.
Written March 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
JoeW3438
This review is very uncharacteristic of what we do, I hope your mental health is okay as you mentioned the correct email you provided which was confirmed twice by yourself, you received all the information to the core email as others did but chose not to come. I only hope you find peace moving forward.
Written March 12, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Dizzydallas
Culver City, CA2 contributions
Our experience here was unforgettable. Joe managed to weave together bits of Maori history, language, and culture while sharing his own personal knowledge of the area. He incorporated visual and linguistic background in his haka with stunning views of Lake Wanaka in the background. This was one of my favorite activities on New Zealand. Do not pass it up!
Written March 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
JoeW3438
Ngā mihi/Many thanks for such a humbling and wonderful review. It is important for me to connect culture(Māori) and Country(Wānaka, NZ) as a simultaneous experience so you can truely connect to both so it makes me very happy you noticed and acknowledged that as well. Mā te wā/Until next time. Joe
Written April 21, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lauren S
Auckland Central, New Zealand2 contributions
Feb 2020
Wanahaka with Joe is by far the best Maori culture experience available in New Zealand. Joe is the perfect vehicle for delivering Maori culture to New Zealanders and travellers alike. Joe has a tremendous gift with people. His ability to build instant raport with everyone he meets with his warm, checky sense of humour and genuine interest in people. Joe's has a special way of intergrating informative facts, in-depth knowledge of New Zealand's history and culture into a really fun and relaxed experience. His interatction with guests gives them a full immersion in Maori Culture and leaves them with a very special connection to NZ.
What guests experience through Joe's Wanahaka tour makes them feel like they have not just been to NZ, but are now apart of NZ. Joe's does a very powerful and moving Haka also. Thank you Joe, for sharing so much with us!
What guests experience through Joe's Wanahaka tour makes them feel like they have not just been to NZ, but are now apart of NZ. Joe's does a very powerful and moving Haka also. Thank you Joe, for sharing so much with us!
Written April 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
JoeW3438
Aaaaawwww Lauren, Thanks so much for the beautiful words. It means a lot to me and I know how blessed I am to be able to share my passion of my Māori culture with you and your extended whānau. Until next Summer!!! Mā te wā Joe
Written April 21, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Mary K
1 contribution
Jan 2020
Joe gave us a thrilling performance, starting with a dramatic conch shell call and aggressive 'wero' (challenge). Fascinating. Once we established that we friend and not foe, he explained a lot about Maori culture and haka dances. It was really very moving to hear the history of the Maori tribes and how haka is today a way to unify a diverse population. We loved every minute.
Written January 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
JoeW3438
We are now whanau, welcome to Te Ao Māori and thanks for the humbling review. Mā te wā/Joe
Written February 7, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
kattyhendo
London, UK10 contributions
Outstanding morning with Joe. The welcome was phenomenal and so atmospheric in situ. He brought so much knowledge to life in his explanations and answered all questions we had regarding Māori culture. He was fantastic with our baby who wasn’t afraid to interrupt him (!) - sorry. But took her in his stride and included her within his explanations. Absolutely five stars and more to have an immersive experience on the history of New Zealand.
Written March 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Alextravelsforever
Brisbane, Australia8 contributions
Hi, Would the Powhiri happen if it rains?
Joe W
80 contributions
Morena,
For how many people??
Nga Mihi/Many thanks
