Is Tamaki Māori Village Still Open? It's Now Te Pā Tū
Tamaki Māori Village didn't close — it was sold in 2018 and relaunched as Te Pā Tū. What changed, what didn't, and whether it's still the right booking for you.
Short answer: yes, it is open and trading. Tamaki Māori Village was sold in November 2018 and relaunched under the name Te Pā Tū around May 2022. It operates from the same site south of Rotorua, runs the same style of evening programme, and remains one of the busiest Māori cultural experiences in New Zealand.
If you were recommended “Tamaki” by a friend who visited a few years ago, or you have found an old booking confirmation, you are looking for Te Pā Tū.
One thing did change materially, though, and it is the thing most likely to matter to you: the food is no longer a hāngī buffet.
Check Availability
What happened to Tamaki Māori Village?
The business was founded in 1989 by brothers Mike and Doug Tamaki and became one of the defining Māori tourism operations in the country.
In November 2018 it was bought by Tauhara North No. 2 Trust. 1News reported the sale on 24 November 2018, describing the trust as an iwi entity worth around $568 million that also owns a geothermal power station near Taupō, with a reported purchase price of NZ$15 million. The NZ Herald reported the deal ran through a new entity, Tauhara North Tourism and Company LP, and settled on 21 November 2018, quoting chairman Ngahihi Bidois.
The Tamaki name stayed on the business for several more years. The relaunch as Te Pā Tū followed in roughly May 2022. The operator has not published a press release giving an exact rebrand date or a stated reason, so treat the timing as approximate.
What does Te Pā Tū mean?
“Pā” refers to a fortified village or settlement and “tū” carries the sense of standing or enduring, so the name reads as something close to the village that stands. The operator has not published an official English translation, so that reading is a plain-language interpretation rather than an authorised gloss.
What changed, and what stayed the same?
| Under Tamaki Māori Village | Under Te Pā Tū today | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Site south of Rotorua on State Highway 5 | Unchanged |
| Format | Evening cultural experience with dinner | Unchanged in structure |
| The meal | Traditional hāngī buffet | Multi-course Māori fusion menu |
| Programme | Consistent year-round | Seasonal, aligned to the maramataka |
| Transfers | Coach transfer included | Unchanged |
| Ownership | Tamaki family | Tauhara North No. 2 Trust |
The meal is the real change
This is the part that catches returning visitors out. The old Tamaki evening finished with a hāngī buffet lifted from an earth oven. Te Pā Tū now serves indigenous canapés followed by a multi-course fusion menu designed by a celebrated Māori chef, served family style. The operator describes hāngī as still being the hero of the table, but sharing it with other dishes prepared fusion style.
The cooking is widely praised. It is also not what you remember if you visited before the change, and it is not what most people mean when they search for a hāngī. If a pit-cooked buffet is specifically what you want, that is Mitai Māori Village, not Te Pā Tū — our full Mitai review explains why.
The programme now follows the lunar calendar
Te Pā Tū structures its year around the maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar, running a summer harvest season and a winter season built around Matariki. The content shifts between them, so two visits at different times of year are not identical.
Is it any good now?
By the available evidence, yes. Te Pā Tū holds a 4.6 out of 5 on Tripadvisor from roughly 6,000 reviews as of September 2026, and around 4.8 on GetYourGuide from about 1,400. In November 2024 it won two New Zealand Tourism Awards, announced by Tourism Industry Aotearoa on 6 November at Cordis Auckland: the Tourism Excellence Award for small to medium businesses, and the NZME Visitor Experience Award.
The recurring criticisms are worth knowing. It is a large, tightly choreographed production, which some guests find slick rather than intimate. And a steady trickle of reviews come from people who booked expecting a traditional hāngī and were surprised by the fusion menu — a problem of expectation rather than quality, but a real one.
It is also the most expensive Māori evening in Rotorua by a clear margin — $167 per person on GetYourGuide against $101 for Mitai at the time of writing, about two-thirds more, with hotel transfers included in that price.
Check current availability and prices for Te Pā Tū →Read our full breakdown of the Te Pā Tū evening →
Why do booking sites still say Tamaki?
Because rebrands propagate slowly. GetYourGuide’s product URL for the experience still contains the old Tamaki slug, older Tripadvisor reviews sit under the former name, and plenty of third-party travel content has never been updated. You may see the experience listed under either name, or both. It is the same evening at the same site.
If a listing looks like it is selling a Tamaki hāngī buffet, that listing is out of date rather than a different product.
Should you book it, or something else?
Book Te Pā Tū if you want the most polished evening in Rotorua, you care about the cooking, and the premium price is acceptable.
Book Mitai instead if you want a genuine earth-oven hāngī, better value, or glowworms and a waka as part of the night. We compare them directly in Te Pā Tū vs Mitai.
Book Te Puia’s Te Pō instead if you also need to see the geysers and would rather do both on one ticket.
Book Whakarewarewa instead if you want the cheapest option, a daytime visit, or a living village rather than a show.
The full picture is in best hāngī in Rotorua, every option compared.
Frequently asked questions
Did Tamaki Māori Village close down?
No. It was sold in November 2018 to Tauhara North No. 2 Trust and relaunched under the name Te Pā Tū around May 2022. It operates from the same site and has not closed.
Are Tamaki Māori Village and Te Pā Tū the same place?
Yes, the same business at the same location south of Rotorua. Only the name, ownership and menu have changed.
Does Te Pā Tū still serve a hāngī?
Not as a traditional buffet. Hāngī elements appear in the menu, but the meal is now a multi-course fusion dinner rather than food served straight from an earth oven. For a pit-cooked hāngī, book Mitai.
Is Tamaki Māori Village still Māori-owned?
Yes. It passed from the Tamaki family to Tauhara North No. 2 Trust, an iwi entity, in 2018.
Can I still find reviews of it under the old name?
Yes. Tripadvisor holds reviews spanning both names on the same listing, and some booking platforms retain the Tamaki slug in their URLs. Reviews from before roughly 2022 describe the old hāngī buffet format rather than the current menu, so weight recent reviews more heavily.
Details were checked in September 2026. The relaunch date is approximate, as the operator has not published an official announcement. Confirm current prices and inclusions on the operator’s booking page before travelling.
See the Hāngī Lifted, Then Sit Down to It
Rotorua's most-reviewed Māori cultural evening — pōwhiri, waka, haka, a hāngī buffet cooked in the ground, and a glow-worm bush walk to finish. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check Availability & Book