Kawhia Traditional Māori Kai Festival 2007
On Saturday, February 3, 2007, Waitangi weekend, head over to Waikato and experience the Kawhia Traditional Māori Food Festival, a community celebration of food. You'll be greeted by a huge array of delicious, mouth-watering and tasty Māori food, both traditional and modern, and entertained by cultural activities.
The last New Zealand food festival attracted nearly 10,000 people. Organisers are planning to cater for double that number this time.
New Zealand Food Festival, Māori Food Festival
Stallholders in this Māori food festival will offer a wide variety of food ranging from the unusual to the everyday. Last year, visitors sampled shark liver sausages and mutton bird, as well as old favourites paua, hangi and fresh tuna. Delicacies come from the land and sea, giving visitors a wonderful opportunity to experience the bounty Māori have been enjoying for centuries.
There will also be traditional and contemporary kapahaka performances, ta moko (tattoo) demonstrations and music. Māori artists will display jewelry, garden arts, clothing, rock and wood sculptures, carving and weaving.
This New Zealand food festival has become a day for renewing ties with whanau and friends and reconnecting with the land and sea for many, while for others it is a chance to join the Māori community for an open and friendly experience. It is also helping to continue the traditional ways of collecting and cooking food.
For further information about this New Zealand food festival, please visit these Web sites:
Kawhia, Otorohanga, Waikato
Kawhia is a coastal settlement on the West Coast of New Zealand's North Island--in Otorohanga, Waikato.
Kawhia is home to about 650 residents and the ancestral home of the Māori Tainui tribe. With its unspoilt harbour, it is one of the most beautiful regions in New Zealand. You can still walk for hours on an isolated ocean beach without seeing another footprint in the sand.
Accommodation is available for visitors, including camping grounds, homestay and backpackers, as well as a motel and hotel. Excellent outdoor activities include heritage cruises, horsetrekking, kayaking and natural hotpools.
Waikato has one of the most memorable landscapes you'll encounter, providing views that will stay with you for all time. Find pure serenity above ground and the most astounding adventures below. Main centres include Hamilton, Cambridge, Waitomo, Matamata, Te Aroha. View our Waikato travel and tourism directory for further information.
You can view more information about Waikato accommodation options and other Waikato attractions and activities.
