Mauao Walk and Workshop

Our Mauao Walk and Workshop allows you to experience cultural history and learn the environmental significance of our ancestral mountain, Mauao (Mount Maunganui). Connect with tangata whenua (Indigenous people of the area) and take part in our cultural practices of Rāranga, traditional weaving using native flax or Rongoā, traditional plant medicine using a seasonal native plant.

• Enjoy a guided walk with stories shared by local Māori
• Hear the tale of how our mountain, Mauao, got his name 
• See where the first canoes of our local Māori came in from the Pacific 
• Hear how our ancestors lived and see what evidence they left behind 

Raranga

• Discover the harakeke (flax plant) and its significance to our environment and culture.
• Learn the correct procedures of harvesting a harakeke leaf.
• Weave your harvested leaf into something beautiful.

Rongoā

• Meet the native plants of Mauao 
  
• Learn how our ancestors used these plants for health and well-being 
• Make your own rongoā concoction

Includes:

• Fully guided walk around Mauao (60 minutes)
• Choice of weaving or plant medicine workshop ( 60 minutes)
• Snacks and beverages.

You can choose to be collected from the gates of the Port of Tauranga, or meet us onsite.

Important Information Before Booking

• A moderate level of fitness is required to participate. The walk itself is 60 minutes on an undulating gravel track of the mountain.
• Appropriate footwear is required.
• All other information will be provided after confirmation including how to prepare, weather considerations, etc.