Find your Personal Kiwi Cultural Connection with Tu Tika Tours
This 3.5 hour tour (9.00am to 12.30pm) is an intimate and spiritual experience that only few people will have the opportunity to embrace. Embark on a journey of a lifetime and experience tangata whenua and the genuine hospitality and local knowledge from your resident Māori hosts.
This tour is unique and different as it is a private and exclusive cultural experience that inspires, informs, and entertains. Your Kiwi Cultural Connection Tour will awaken your senses as you will find so many new things to see, hear, taste, touch and smell.
Your friendly hosts, husband and wife Mervyn and Rangimarie Harding, can’t wait to welcome you to their home in New Zealand’s most northern city, Whangārei. This will be the most inspiring Māori experience you will have in Aotearoa, New Zealand, immersing your mind, body and soul on your journey of discovery.
Social Protocols
- Respect the environment - You will be out in nature for this experience so please help protect our environment by taking all your rubbish with you.
- Be a great listener - Have fun and stay safe by following instructions carefully.
- Please and thank you - A friendly reminder to use ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ lots for all the people who will be helping you during this experience.
- Turn your phone off - Make sure you don't use your phone while your guides are talking. If you need to make a call, please ask your guide/teacher first.
Cultural Protocols
- Be a respectful visitor - You will be a guest during this experience, so please be respectful. Two important Māori customs are to take your shoes off indoors and avoid sitting on tables or pillows.
- Hello and goodbye in Māori - If you want to start practising some basic Māori phrases, you could try using ‘Kia ora’ (hello) and ‘Ka kite’ (goodbye).
- Permission for photos - If you are taking photos that include other people, always ask them first if they are happy for their photograph to be taken.
- Sharing kai (food) - You will be sharing food as part of this experience, so please wait until you are invited to eat. There may also be a prayer (karakia) to bless the food before it is eaten.
