Māori Hangi Meal, Rotorua

A New Zealand trip just isn't complete without a traditional Māori concert and hangi meal. The best city to have a māori hangi meal is Rotorua. We booked at Te Puia because Frommers said that they have the best hangi food.

Rotorua is a huge volcanic area that is full of geothermal activity. They also have quite a few hot mud pools and geysers. As soon as you drive into the city, you will smell rotten eggs from the sulphur. It may get overwhelming at times, but this is the reason that attracts tourists to this city. Apart from the Māori concert and hangi meal, I highly recommend Wai-O-Tapu, the geothermal wonderland.

The way to cook a traditional hangi meal is in an earthen pit, called the hangi pit. Food is cooked underground using natural steam from geothermals or from the steam of hot stones heated by fire.

The hangi pit that our food was cooked in was more modern, but that smoky raw flavour that you find in a hangi meal was still there.

We had a feast of meat, potato, pumpkin, and corn. Because all of the food was cooked together at once on top of ashes, the aroma of the meat, vegetables, and smoke intertwined and created a really authentic taste.

Our meal consisted of succulent New Zealand lamb, pork, chicken, and eel. Served on the side were potatoes, corn, gravy, seafood chowder, and stuffing. There was also a huge buffet of raw oysters, salads and desserts. Needless to say, there was a ton of food.

After the meal, we went out into the dark night to watch a geyser shoot boiling hot water 30 metres into the air. Cozy fleece blankets, soothing hot chocolate and dried fruit chips were provided.

It was a great night, and it was well worth the money. The food was amazing and we were really glad we booked here.

We are flying back to Sydney tonight :( Can't believe that this is all going to be over soon!