Indigenous experiences in

AOTEAROA (NEW ZEALAND)

Ōtautahi/Christchurch, South Island

Grab a taste of Māori culture

Āmiki Tours put the unique trails and dining of Ōtautahi (the Māori peoples’ name for Christchurch) at the centre of its experiences, all while its guides share stories of their ancestors. The two-hour City Meander tour wanders the inner city, following a route based on the guiding principles of manaakitanga (hospitality) and whanaungatanga (connection). There are also food stops along the way, demonstrating the historical importance to the Māori people of sharing kai (food).

Alternatively, the 75-minute Ōtautahi Hikoi tour focuses on the city’s cultural treasures, following in the footsteps of tīpuna (ancestors) along the laneways and waterways, sharing stories of everything from traditional food gathering on the riverbank to the city’s dining scene and architecture. There are also lunch tours (Kai Bites) and evening tours (Kai Safari), plus the more indulgent Ngā Hari o te Pō (Night of Delights), which includes paired drinks.

More information: amikitours.com

Words Yvonne Gordon

Kapiti Island, North Island

See unique wildlife with a Māori guide

Kapiti Island is one of the oldest nature reserves in New Zealand, and its forest provides a sanctuary for endemic and rare birds such as the kākāriki (red-crowned parakeet), weka (woodhen) and kākā parrot. To learn more about the island, spend a day with Kapiti Island Nature Tours, which is run by John Barrett, who is Ngāti Raukawa, Te Āti Awa and Ngāti Toarangatira. As intergenerational kaitiaki (guardians) of the land around Waiorua Bay, at the northern tip of Kapiti, he and his whānau (family) run a lodge there.

John and his whānau take their responsibility seriously, sharing the island on guided nature tours and also helping to preserve it for future generations by repopulating native ferns and fauna. Ferries can drop you off for day tours, or you can stay overnight in a cabin or glamping tent, waking up to the sounds of birdsong on one of New Zealand’s most remarkable islands.

More information: kapitiisland.com

Words Yvonne Gordon

Kirikiriroa/Hamilton, North Island

Discover the art of the Tainui

Join Te Ahurei Māori Tourism for a Māori Art Walking Tour around the city centre of Kirikiriroa (the Māori peoples’ name for Hamilton). The tour explores seven mahi toi (artwork) sites, sharing the history and stories of the Tainui people that are embedded and stored within each. Along the way, guides will unravel the symbols, motifs and designs that explain the philosophy behind Tainui customs, beliefs and traditions, covering everything
from star lore to environmentalism.

The tour is not just a celebration of Māori art and culture; it also puts the multicultural city of Kirikiriroa/Hamilton in the spotlight. By understanding local history from a Māori perspective, it explores the city – better known for its gardens and street art – in a way that few other visitors experience.

More information: facebook.com

Words Yvonne Gordon

Murupara, North Island

Fill up at a hāngī feast in the Tribal lands of the Ngāti Manawa

The family-owned Kohutapu Lodge lies next to the serene waters of Lake Aniwhenua. Here you have the chance to not only learn about local Māori culture on its Tribal Tours, but also give back to the local community as you explore the lands of the Ngāti Manawa people, learn their stories, visit
significant sites and see ancient rock art.

As well as trying your hand at traditional activities such as weaving and night fishing for eels, there are guided walks in the surrounding Jurassic podocarp rainforest. But perhaps the pick of the bunch is the chance to attend a Māori hāngī feast, an ancient cooking technique where meat and vegetables are slow-cooked on hot rocks in an earthen pit. And by staying here, your money allows Kohutapu Lodge to create positive change for the local community by investing in projects like delivering meals to those in need, providing school uniforms and arranging educational trips for children.

More information: kohutapulodge.co.nz

Words Yvonne Gordon

Waikato District, North Island

Join a battlefield tour of Rangiriri

In July 1863, the British sent their military forces across the Mangatāwhiri Stream, invading Waikato and confiscating nearly 500,000 hectares of land to expand their settlement. The Rangiriri invasion is considered to be one of the bloodiest battles of this period, and it is narrated in moving detail on a tour with the Te Runanga o Ngaati Naho, the guardians of the Rangiriri maiorooro (trenches), where the Māori people demonstrated what is now recognised as some of the earliest examples of trench warfare techniques in the world.

The two-hour Spirit of Resilience tour visits Māori earthwork fortifications and battle sites, letting you wander a scale-replica earthwork trench and hear the often shocking details of what took place, as well as tales of resistance by the descendants of those who fought. It’s a key history that few know about before setting foot there.

More information: rangiriri.com

Words Yvonne Gordon

West Coast, South Island

Follow the new Pounamu Pathway

The Pounamu Pathway is a multi-destination experience that links four interconnected visitor centres scattered across 300km of the South Island’s rugged west coast. Though not all of them are completed yet, they will include the Māwhera Pā, Greymouth; the Museum of Kawatiri (Westport); the Awarua/Haast Centre (opening in 2025) and the Hokitika Experience Centre (opening in 2026).

At the core of each is immersive storytelling, with exhibits designed by the Wētā Workshop (the effects studio behind The Lord of the Rings films) bringing to life the legends of the Māori people of the West Coast. In between stops, you’ll explore stories of settlements and battles, all connected by an app directing you to different pou whenua (places of significance), including landmarks and experiences. 

More information: pounamupathway.com

Words Yvonne Gordon

AUSTRALIA

Rubibi/Broome, Western Australia

Take an immersive journey into Yawuru and Karajarri culture

Johani Mamid (a Yawuru, Karajarri, Nyul Nyul, Bardi man) founded Mabu Buru Tours to impart his deep knowledge of Rubibi (the Aboriginal peoples’ name for Broome) and its surrounding landscape, and to create experiences that share the ancient customs of the Yawuru and Karajarri people.

On the three-day immersive Broome Ultimate Aboriginal Culture Expedition, you can take a deep dive into these customs, with days centred around storytelling, hunting for native bushfood, Aboriginal dance performances and traditional cooking. Additionally, 50% of profits go to the Mabu Buru Foundation, which is dedicated to the survival and preservation of Indigenous culture in the West Kimberley region.

For more information about other operators in Tourism Australia’s Discover Aboriginal Experiences collective, which reinvest profits from tours into education, training and employment for Indigenous people, see discoveraboriginalexperiences.com.

More information: broomeaboriginaltours.com.au

Words Yvonne Gordon

Gimuy/Cairns, Queensland West Coast, South Island

Cruise the mangroves of the Mandingalbay Yidinji people

The family-run Mandingalbay tours introduce travellers to the history and traditions of the Mandingalbay Yidinji people, whose historic territory is centred around Gimuy (the Aboriginal peoples’ name for Cairns). Most tours begin with a boat trip among the mangroves – which the surrounding communities help to preserve – taking you to a shelter for a ‘Welcome to Country’ ceremony. Thereafter, you’ll learn about ancient hunting techniques, bush medicine, ceremonial practices and the history of first European contact.

Tours are led by Uncle Vince, a Mandingalbay Yidinji guide who offers a wealth of knowledge about the ancestry of his people. Choose between an overnight camping experience for groups and a two-hour sunset cruise that includes a cultural talk.

More information: mandingalbay.com.au

Words Karen Edwards

Laura, Queensland

Explore remote rock art at Jarramali

Spanning the sandstone escarpment of northern Queensland’s wild outback, the region’s Quinkan rock art depicts the lives of the Kuku Yalanji people, with the most recent example dating from 1,200 years back – though some are as old as 20,000 years.

There’s no better, or more insightful, way to experience this history than with a descendant of the Kuku Yalanji community. The family-owned Jarramali Rock Art Tours runs helicopter daytrips from Gimuy/Cairns to visit some of the more easily accessible galleries. Along the way, owner Johnny Murison not only shares his insights on the rock art but tells the story of his own great-great-grandmother, who was a proud Kuku Yalanji woman.

Those interested in more of an adventure can opt instead for a one- or two-night camping experience. This includes hikes to some of the harder-to-reach galleries, insights into bush medicine and tucker, and swims in quiet, picturesque waterholes with nothing else for miles around.

More information: jarramalirockarttours.com.au

Words Karen Edwards

Northeast Arnhem Land, Northern Territory

Support the Yolŋu art scene

The community-led Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre, located in the small township of Yirrkala, is both a gallery and museum, and it offers a rare glimpse into Yolŋu culture through its art. Opened in 1975 with the sole intention of displaying Yolŋu artworks, the gallery features the bark and canvas paintings of hundreds of artists, providing economic independence to local creatives as well as preserving the cultures of many remote Yolŋu homeland communities.

Today, the centre is also home to the Mulka Project, a programme dedicated to employing members of the Yolŋu community, offering income streams and workplace training. A contemporary print space, music studio and stage have also been added to benefit young artists. Visitors can help support the gallery and those featured in it by buying ironwood bark and canvas pieces as well as traditional crafts such as woven baskets and mineral-stone jewellery. Artists receive 60% of the selling price, while the remaining 40% goes towards running the centre.

More information: yirrkala.com

Words Karen Edwards

Sydney, New South Wales

Journey through Sydney’s Indigenous heritage on a walking tour

Join Margret Campbell, founder-owner of Dreamtime Southern X, to explore Sydney’s Indigenous heritage on foot. Aunty Margret is an Elder from the Dunghutti and Jerrinja Nations of New South Wales. On her The Rocks Aboriginal Dreaming Tour, she and her guides take visitors on a 90-minute interpretive walk around The Rocks area of Sydney Cove (Waranne in Eora), adding depth and context to what you see by telling stories and highlighting the importance of Aboriginal landmarks that existed here long before the Europeans arrived.

Margret, who pioneered Aboriginal tourism experiences in Australia when she launched tours to spotlight Sydney’s Indigenous heritage more than two decades ago, also shares insights into Aboriginal cultures and the responsibilities of Elders in today’s society, offering as much a cultural primer as a tour.

More information: dreamtimesouthernx.com.au

Words Yvonne Gordon

Tiwi Islands, Northern Territory

Visit one of Australia’s oldest Aboriginal art centres

Located in Wurrumiyanga on Bathurst Island, Tiwi Design is one of Australia’s oldest art centres, dating back to 1968, when the islands were administered by missionaries. The purpose of the centre is to promote and preserve Tiwi culture, represented here by an impressive collection of traditional ochre-pigment line paintings on iron-wood bark and canvas, plus carvings, printed fabrics and ceramic sculptures.

Another excellent repository for Tiwi art in Wurrumiyanga is the Ngaruwanajirri art centre, a listed building known locally as the Tiwi’s ‘Sistine Chapel’, thanks to the intricate murals painted across its arched ceiling – it’s worth a visit just to see them up close. The centre specialises in paintings and sculptures created predominantly by members of the Tiwi community who live with disabilities.

Travellers can purchase artwork from both galleries, with 50% of the sale price going directly to the artist.

More information: tiwidesigns.com; ngaruwanajirri.org.au

Words Karen Edwards

FIJI

Viti Levu

Explore Indigenous Fiji from an eco-retreat in the highlands

The Namosi Eco Retreat is set in the south-western highlands of the main Fijian island of Viti Levu. Surrounded by tropical, misty mountains, it isn’t just a picture-perfect setting; a stay at this Fiji-owned and -run eco-retreat is a chance for a truly ‘unplugged’ experience, leaving electronics and mobile phones far behind.

You can tuck into traditional and sustainable Fijian meals made with local crops, experience local customs and learn about the farming lifestyle of the area. Growing kava (used in a ceremonial drink) is the main source of income for locals in the nearby Navunikabi village – and you’ll be able to sample plenty of it when attending traditional kava ceremonies.

The accommodation is a traditional thatched Fijian bure (hut), perfectly placed for falling asleep to the sounds of the adjacent Luva River, where locals love to swim. In between hiking, bamboo rafting, village tours, harvesting food, weaving and cooking classes, it’s the perfect spot to relax.

More information: namosieco.com

Words Yvonne Gordon