Whakarewarewa, Rotorua

In Māori myths and legends, it is said that the Whakarewarewa thermal area was created when Te Hoata and Te Pupu (Goddesses of Fire) travelled from Hawaiki in the form of fire to relieve their brother’s chills. Along the way, they created New Zealand’s volcanoes, mud pools, geysers and hot springs. It was first occupied in 1325 and came to be an impenetrable stronghold that has never been taken in battle. 

The full name is Te Whakarewarewa-tanga-o-te-ope-taua-a-Wāhiao: The Uprising of the Army of Wāhiao. Over 300 years ago, a war party led by the warrior Wāhiao had gathered and, hidden by geothermal steam, performed a Haka (war dance) before charging into battle.

Māori people have lived at Whakarewarewa for several centuries, taking advantage of the local geothermal activity for purposes of heating, bathing and cooking. When Europeans began arriving in the 1800s, they were fascinated by the local way of life and use of the geothermal resource.

Another local attraction during this time was the nearby Pink and White Terraces, at the village of Te Wairoa. Visitors from far and wide made their way to New Zealand to experience what was being referred to as “The 8th Wonder of the World”. As tourism developed in the area, guiding became a formalised profession for local Māori guides. Several Māori guides became international personalities in their own right, guiding European visitors through geothermal attractions with humour, charm and navigating deftly between English and Maori languages and culture. The Pink and White Terraces were destroyed by the 1886 eruption of Mt. Tarawera.