Matariki at Te Puia | New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute

Celebrate Matariki at Te Puia | NZMACI – Friday 20th June

Join us for a day of reflection, remembrance, and renewal as we come together to celebrate Matariki – the Māori New Year.

Hautapu Ceremony 4:30am – 7:00am

Our Matariki Hautapu Ceremony, led by Te Rāngai Kawa – Te Tokotoru a Manawakotokoto, who will honour ancestral traditions through a dawn ceremony that reflects on the past, embraces the present, and looks to the future across three distinct phases.Attendance to our Hautapu Ceremony is free, but tickets are required. Book tickets. 

Whānau Day 9am – 3pm

In Māori history, after a formal Hautapu ceremony everyone would gather to feast, play games, plan and prep for the year ahead, so we welcome you to join our Whānau Day at Rotowhio Marae. Tickets are $5 + booking fee per adult and free for tamariki 16 and under. Book tickets.

Matariki Whānau Day Highlights:

• Market Stalls: Browse a range of local art and crafts, kākahu, baking, or even book in for a tā moko session with a local artist
• Pā Activities: Tītī tōrea (stick games), poi and haka lessons
• Live Cultural Performances
• Tamariki Fun Zone: Bouncy castle and face painting (kiri tuhi / moko)
• NZMACI Demonstrations: Watch our talented artists at work – weaving, wood carving, stone and bone carving
• Train Rides around the valley to view Pōhutu Geyser
• Kai – Our street food market will be serving up delicious kai and inu – including a traditional Hāngī, cooked right here in the Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley.

Winter Hākari Nights June – Matariki Flavours Buffet

Join us every Thursday and Friday night this June for a uniquely Aotearoa experience — a Matariki-inspired buffet dinner that celebrates the rich stories and seasonal kai of the Matariki stars.

Each evening is a journey through flavours connected to te taiao (the natural world), guided by the stars of the Matariki cluster.