The Moa Hunter Tour

From $100.00 per person | Up to 10 guests

Join the Moa Hunter on an interactive cultural experience within the ancient ngahere (forest). Guided by our mana whenua guide, explore Māori bush lore through the senses.

Step into the heart of the forest and awaken your senses with The Moa Hunter, Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari's newest interactive cultural experience. Guided by expert mana whenua, this immersive tour invites visitors to walk in the footsteps of ancient Māori warriors, navigating the ngahere (native forest) through the lens of traditional bush lore and ancestral wisdom.

The Moa Hunters were a formidable people - resilient, intuitive, and deeply attuned to the rhythms of the natural world. On this journey, you'll discover how Māori relied on the elemental forces of water, fire, and wind to survive and thrive in the forest. Learn how wai (water) was sourced, stored, and used for healing and sustenance; how ahi (fire) was harnessed not only for warmth and cooking, but also for crafting tools and signaling across the canopy; and how hau (wind) carried messages, guided movement, and shaped seasonal patterns.

As you move through the forest, you'll come to learn more about the mighty Moa itself and understand the vital role of manu (birds) as navigators and messengers. Their calls, flight paths, and behaviours offered clues to food sources, weather changes, and spiritual presence. You'll also explore how natural materials - from supple harakeke to sturdy rākau - were used to craft hunting tools, build shelter, and protect iwi from the elements.

This is more than a tour. It's a sensory journey of connection, discovery, and reverence. Feel the textures of the forest floor, taste native herbs, listen to ancient stories, and breathe in the lifeforce of Maungatautari. Whether you're drawn by curiosity, culture, or conservation, The Moa Hunter offers a special opportunity to experience the forest through a Te Ao Māori perspective - with humility, ingenuity, and deep respect.

Mauriora - may the lifeforce be with you.

Book

Your guided tour comes with a free Sanctuary Explorer Day Pass - perfect for extending your adventure. After the tour, explore at your own pace and soak up the wairua (spirit) of the sanctuary.

120 minutes (2 hours approx.)
Complimentary Sanctuary Explorer Day Pass included
Standard booking Terms and Conditions apply

Thank you! Every booking supports our vital conservation work, helping protect rare and endangered species on the maunga.

We were a group of 8, Sue was our guide. Would so recommend having Sue to guide. We would not have noticed or learnt anything by ourselves, noticed birds and plants with understanding the importance of sanctuary. Will be bringing the grandies next.

Helen Bingham

← 1 / 10 →

The team are still absolutely buzzing about their time at Maungatautari! We all learnt SO much — about Rongoa, about the forest and how different plants can heal our ailments — but also how the forest as a whole can heal our inner-selves too. Everybody took something of great value...

Huka Honey Hive, Taupo

← 2 / 10 →

I wanted to email you and tell you how literally amazing our day was and that we were absolutely blown away by the whole experience. You and your team are fantastic. All of the parents who attended raved about the whole day.

Ohaupo School

← 3 / 10 →

A truly spectacular day for me thank you, and trust me I've done some really cool things before but this was right up there. The passion, the pride, the service beyond self and the truly intergenerational and transformational work you and the team have done and are doing is inspirational...

Simon

← 4 / 10 →

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Because one THANK YOU is not enough! We felt very honoured and privileged to witness the health check and transfer process of two kiwi yesterday. To be so close to our iconic bird was very surreal for many of our team. Many photos were taken and I'm sure...

Nicola Greenwell

← 5 / 10 →

I'm honestly still smiling after my afternoon on the maunga yesterday, so I had to write and thank you SO MUCH. The team is doing extraordinary work with the whole sanctuary, and to see the kiwi team, volunteers, dogs, it was absolutely amazing. It was very moving to see the kiwi close up....

Katy Scoullar

← 6 / 10 →

I've hiked many, many forests around New Zealand, but this one hits differently. You just know you're in as native of an NZ forest as it can get, thanks to the predator-proof fence that takes a lot of work and money to maintain. The forest is alive with the beautiful songs of many...

Meggie Tran

← 7 / 10 →

A beautiful and peaceful place.

Tony Nicholls

← 8 / 10 →

My wife and I live in Miami and visited Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari during a trip to New Zealand a month ago. Our guide was Jenny. We were very impressed with her sincerity as well as your organization and the success of your work.

Anonymous, Miami, USA

← 9 / 10 →

If you want to see New Zealand's nocturnal animals, go here. Of course, there are day tours as well as night tours. I went on a night tour and it was great. I was happy to see glow worms, go up to the observatory, and see many stars in the night sky! This is not a zoo, but a conservation...