New Maori Tourism Product For Wellington

New Maori Tourism Product For Wellington Meets Needs Of Interactive Travellers

Te Papa and Mäori Treasures have combined resources to offer a new full-day tour designed specfically to meet the needs of the interactive traveller, and fill a gap in the Wellington tourist market.

The package called Journey with our Ancestors includes transfers, a hosted tour of Mäori Treasures in Lower Hutt, lunch, and a one-hour guided tour of Te Papa with a Mäori culture specialist.

During the visit to Mäori Treasures, guests learn about both traditional and contemporary Mäori arts through conversations with local carvers and weavers. Guests are also given the opportunity for hands-on participation in these arts.

The Te Papa experience will include an in-depth look at the Mana Whenua and Signs of a Nation exhibtions. Visitors then have two hours free time to expore the rest of Te Papa.

'This interactive tour provides a rare insight into both the traditional and contemporary lifestyles of Mäori,' said Te Papa Chief Executive, Dr Seddon Bennington, 'this experience is real'.

The tour was developed as a result of conversations with Tourism New Zealand, Positively Wellington Tourism and the tourism industry. All research indicated that a day tour with a cultural focus would fill a gap in the Wellington market.

'The challenge as always is to deliver a fresh, quality product, and the combination of Te Papa's scholarship and the intimacy and hands-on focus of Mäori Treasures achieves this balance,' said Kataraina Hetet, CEO of Mäori Treasures.

Journey with our Ancestors has already received significant market interest.

The product retails for $210 per person, is fully commissionable, and will be marketed through the standard distribution chain.

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