Discover the rich heritage of Ōtākaro Avon River on an unforgettable 45-minute waka cultural paddling experience...
Centuries ago, waka were important for Māori communities, aiding migration and settlement in the lush lands of Aotearoa New Zealand. Transport yourself back in time to the era of the great Māori explorers with our immersive Waka experience.
Ko Tāne’s one-hour guided waka paddling experience allows you to learn the history and tradition of Waka. It is the perfect way to experience and engage in both Māori culture and our city’s history.
Located in downtown Christchurch, on the sacred Ōtākaro Awa (Avon River); you will be officially greeted with a mihi (Māori greeting) and provided with an overview of your visit with us.
Once onboard our waka your Kaitahutū and Kaiārahi (guide and skipper) will share the scenery of the area and the history of our city’s 170-year journey.
All prices are shown in NZD ($)
Our guides were awesome and provided extra time, information (including our local city Seattle’s role with Ōtautahi) and even helped us capture the day in photos! They were also incredibly knowledgable, friendly and organized to keep us on time for an great experience. Would highly recommend!
Very good way to learn about Maori culture, we hope that everyone will be enthusiastic to participate.
Lovely people and it was interesting to learn some Te reo words and learn to paddle a waka. Downsides are that we didn’t go very far, didn’t spend much time on the water (the whole experience was less than an hour and about half was on land) and were only told a couple of things about the river. 2.5/5
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Michelle Sokolow from Germany wrote on 27 November 2023
Hat Spaß gemacht
Die Tourguides waren sehr nett. Es gab viele Informationen und wir haben ein Spiel gespielt. War sehr spaßig