For unique Māori sailing and cultural experience that feels authentic and unstaged, Waka Voyagers Tairāwhiti ticks all the boxes. You’ll be taken out on the region’s own replica waka hourua (the large, double-hulled, ocean-going canoes that carried the first settlers to New Zealand). Aboard the waka, you’ll be taken back in time to experience something of what intrepid Māori voyagers felt when they took the waka on epic sea journeys. You’ll learn about how the waka were built and how the navigators found their way to New Zealand, and you’ll learn some sailing and wayfinding skills yourselves directly from the crew.