Great local museum. See the natural and local history of the Taupo region. Māori and settler…read moreartefacts and stories. Loved the quirky 1960's caravan and the huge trout caught in the lake. Attached to art gallery, tranquil health garden and beautiful rose garden next door. Well worth the time.

Our visit was mid-morning on a Monday and we almost had the place to ourselves. We were able to…read moremake it through the entire place in less than an hour including taking photos with almost all of the artwork. It was an interesting experience and some of the photos are very entertaining. Tip: They have some items that you can use as props for some of the photos e.g. umbrella for the 'spout' of liquid. That's not obvious when you are there so you may need to ask.

Had a fantastic time at the 3D art gallery…read more We had a few hours to kill in Rotorua and found this through Google Reviews. Lots to do in the area. We arrived and were greeted by Robyn. She explained that we missed the farm tour by an hour. My girlfriend reeeealllly wanted to pet a sheep on our trip. Robyn went out of her way to take us over to the farm area and let us feed the sheep - trip made. Sooooo amazing! We then went back to the 3D Trick Eye exhibits. So many funny and interesting artworks. We took about 30 photos each. They had an employee that helped us take couples photos - Loved that. Also, loads of parking and nice bathrooms. Would give 6 out of 5 if I could.

OMG !!! What an experience…read more One of the few times I did a tour group, it was the only way to do the Village while in the area as it was an hour and a half drive each way. And it opened just for this group of 50. A Māori woman stepped on the bus to give us a quick lesson on our visit. She chose a gentleman to be "our" chief to represent the bus and meet the Māori chief, and how we should act during the initial encounter. We walked through the camp gates into an open area. A horn sounded. The chief appeared above us and in native language announced his acknowledgment of our presence. Then more tribal men appeared and proceeded to show their strength through the haka. The chiefs did a traditional acknowledgment and welcome. Then we were lead into the village. At each house we were introduced to different activities, some were once practices for war and defense. Others were on every day activities of village life. Next we were seated in a theater like building. The chief introduced us to his family. This large group really was his family. His son, daughter, several nieces, nephews and a couple of cousins. Now they demonstrated and told the meaning behind certain dances and songs. Some pass down the stories of their ancestors. This tribe are descendants of chief's daughter and warrior who were forbidden to marry, but managed to anyway. The moves and facial expressions have specific and impactful meanings. Their voices absolutely incredible. One last treat was a late lunch. A beautiful buffet was prepared just for us. Fresh mussels, shrimp, salads, three kinds of potatoes, pork, chicken and fish. So many options and all so delicious. Then dessert too !! Pavlova, steamed pudding, and a to die for dark chocolate brownie with a devine coconut center. An unbelievable experience that I'm so thankful I did. I highly recommend it.

This was an amazing experience. It starts with some great information at the visitor center,…read morefollowed by a bus ride to the village. On the bus, they chose a chief and instructed us on cultural norms and expectations for our experience. The village was so interesting and we loved getting to learn and play some of the games! They put on an amazing performance that included traditional singing and dancing! The food was great, with the only downside being that there wasn't much variety for gluten intolerances, so I was a little more limited than my husband at dinner. The bus ride back included singing and the driver goofing off. It was an incredibly fun and educational experience and I would recommend it highly!