Rotorua is widely considered the cradle of culture in New Zealand, so it’s little wonder that Māori experiences feature prominently in tourism to the region. Nor that they took centre stage, literally, at the opening of New Zealand’s biggest yearly tourism event, Trenz 2025, which is being held in Rotorua for the first time in six years.
Taking place at the city’s Energy Events Centre, Trenz 2025 has received some 1,200 delegates, including 340 buyers from 26 countries.
But the local Māori aren’t welcoming Trenz attendees as visitors – instead, they’re being greeted as “whānau”, or family.
According to Kingi Biddle, MC of the opening of the event, this welcome even goes beyond those who are present and on to their families. Because while you’ll receive a warm welcome wherever you go in New Zealand, it might just be warmest here.
With heartfelt messages from Rotorua Mayor Tanya Tapsell, RotoruaNZ CEO Andrew Wilson, Dame Kerry Prendergast – chair of Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) that manages Trenz every year, and other special guests, arguably the warmest welcome is given by Māori song and dance ensemble Te Kapa Haka o Ngatī Whakaue, who recently took out the prestigious national ‘kapa haka’ competition.
The performance couldn’t have been more stirring. Nor could it have been more apt, given the significance of the Māori culture to the region.
“If you haven’t been to New Zealand or Trenz before, I trust that you’ll leave convinced beyond measure that New Zealand is a must-see destination for your customers,” Dame Kerry said during the opening ceremony.
“Trenz was last held in Rotorua in 2019; it’s a delight to be back and to see the significant development evident across the city and the region.
“It is fitting for Trenz to return to the birthplace of international tourism that has offered so much to the prosperity of New Zealand.”
As well as its rich Māori culture and geothermal landscape, Prendergast flagged the city’s “world-class spa and wellness experiences… the bike trails, canopy adventures or high-speed luge rides.”
What’s new in Rotorua?
RotoruaNZ’s Andrew Wilson said the tourism industry is still rebuilding since the last time Trenz was here, but added its operators have been “anything but idle”.
“During that period, we’ve had a whole lot of investment going on,” he told Trenz 2025 delegates.
“Skyline revamped all of its luge tracks, but alongside that, they’ve created a wetland and a pond for waterfowl, and they’ve planted over 5,000 native plants and another 10,000 trees, returning much of Mt Ngongotaha back to its natural state.”
Meanwhile, Māori and nature experiences “Te Puia and Te Pa Tu repositioned their products to create more intimate and meaningful experiences”, while the National Kiwi Hatchery and Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre have also evolved.
Elsewhere, the magnificent Redwoods Treewalk is about to get an upgrade, with the opening in September of a new 70-metre themed cave, which will include an eco cave full of real glowworms.
Perhaps most significantly, the city opened the new Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa in 2023 on the Rotorua lakefront. Indeed, this enormous facility, which cost some NZ$60 million to build, is next-level luxury.
On a tour of the spa, this writer witnessed geothermal, hydro therapy and herbal pools, waterfall showers, mud rooms and more wellness treatments than one could want. What’s more, a new five-star hotel is slated for the adjacent piece of lakefront land.
Following the formalities, Trenz’s opening event took on a more traditional feel for a tourism showcase – that is, with food, drink, merriment and connection. Which is what Rotorua, and New Zealand broadly, does in spades.
“Trenz is all about connections… between people, between cultures and between landscapes,” Wilson said.
“It’s about showcasing the best of New Zealand to the world – and there’s no better stage than here in Rotorua.”
Karryon is attending Trenz 2025 as a guest of TIA and Air New Zealand. For more info on Trenz 2025, click here.
All images by Mark Harada.
