Tū Te Ihi references the energy and passion stirred by the Matariki cluster and the promise they herald. Matariki conjures our ancestors, we recall their legacy and reflect on the year that has been.

Tū Te Ihi 2024 is set in 1800’s Aotearoa, in a small pā (village) just south of Rotorua, Te Pā Tū.

The ihi, passion, energy, and sense of celebration are palpable.

Step back in time to a period after the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi and before the eruption of Mt Tarawera in 1886.

Summer’s harvest is complete, preserved, dried, stored. Long harvest days, arduous walks, and river journeys between home pā (villages) are over. Any scores to be settled can wait til battle season, summer.

It is winter and time to celebrate Tū Te Ihi. There are homecomings, reunions, and as our ancestors draw closer, nostalgia too. Tū Te Ihi also welcomes Matariki (Pleiades star cluster), the new lunar year and the promise it heralds.

The Tū Te Ihi evening celebrations begin with the Ahi Tuku (fire ceremony), then kai horotai (canapés), hearty broth and steaming tea, and fireside kōrero (conversation) in the forest. In the whare kai (dining space) there is ngāhau (celebration) style kapahaka (performance), while beautifully curated Māori fusion kai (cuisine) is served, family style. Included are local delicacies, duck, and whitebait, traditional hāngī, spit roasted pork and kumara crème brulee. Each dish is inspired by and in honour of a Matariki star.

Celebration Includes

• Three hours of storytelling, connection, and kai (cuisine)
• Kai horotai, forest canapes (indigenous and introduced ingredients)
• Complimentary chef choice aperitif
• Matariki inspired and curated 4 course Māori fusion menu
• Traditional in-ground Hāngī (lamb and vegetables)
• Complimentary return transport from central city
• Children welcome
• Dietary options: Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Gluten free (cannot guarantee celiac safe)
• Licensed bar: Māori wine pairing and non-alcoholic Māori beverage pairings available
• Wheelchair and child buggy accessible.