Maori Culture

Rugby is an integral part of being a Kiwi and Rugby World Cup 2011 is destined to turn New Zealand into a non-stop party zone called the REAL New Zealand Festival.

Half a world away from each other, New Zealand and France have more than rugby in common.

From ancient times, Māori culture has been passed down from generation to generation through music, carvings, art, story-telling and reciting of whakapapa genealogies.

Some key moments in Aotearoa - New Zealand's Maori history from Polynesian migrations and British colonisation to the modern renaissance of Maori language.

The sea, the vessel, the voyage, the arrival. New Zealand was born on the waves, from two long migrations.

Waitangi Day is a public holiday held on 6 February every year to commemorate the signing of New Zealand's founding document - the Treaty of Waitangi - in 1840.

A conservator specialising in Māori and Pacific objects has turned an expert hand to restoring one of New Zealand’s oldest surviving Māori waka (canoe).

Matahiwi Marae is one of the oldest established marae of Ngati Hawea in Hawke’s Bay. It was set up originally as a neutral meeting area for the prominent chiefs around the area.

Many New Zealand writers fuse Mâori culture and legend into works written in English.

Eating out has fresh appeal in New Zealand with diverse destinations offering diners the chance to laze, graze and star gaze in exotic outdoor settings.