Maori cultural experiences are popular tourist attractions enjoyed by many people, but as with any two cultures encountering one another, there is room for misunderstanding. Some tourists have found themselves more confronted than they expected by ceremonial challenges and welcomes. These are serious occasions, and avoid chatter and laughing. People have been attacked by their entertainers for appearing to not treat it with the highest sacredness. Have jokes and laughs later. There will be plenty of time to relax later when the hangi is lifted.
Maori and non-Maori New Zealanders are generally on good terms, but from time to time there have been frayed relationships between the two. Stay away from discussion about that.
Remember also, that New Zealand is still a very young nation by many standards and its identity is still being formulated. Commenting that New Zealand is subservient to the United Kingdom is sometimes admired and other times despised, and although New Zealand coinage is adorned with British royal figures, New Zealand is an independent member of the Commonwealth and to say that New Zealand is almost identical can be offensive to some.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about New Zealand
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in New Zealand - updated Apr 2024
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New Zealand Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
