Top Rotorua activities
Explore by category
Top Rotorua landmarks
Top Rotorua landmarks
Top Rotorua landmark tickets
Beyond Rotorua
Tours in nearby places
Explore North Island tours
Tours in similar places
Rotorua trip ideas
The Maori people place special importance on the social and cultural aspects of the hangi—a traditional feast not unlike the Hawaiian luau or other Polynesian customs found in the Pacific. While hangi meals regularly take place in gathering houses (marae) across New Zealand, many that welcome visitors happen in the cultural center of Rotorua.
Hangi-like cooking has been happening in New Zealand for centuries. When laying down a hangi, wood is set ablaze to heat stones set in a large pit dug in the ground. Food is wrapped in moist leaves or placed in wire baskets, then covered for several hours to cook. Today, some hangi presentations involve removing the food from this earthen oven (umu) before sharing the bounty with hungry attendees.