If you are visiting New Zealand and want to be not just a tourist, but a welcome guest, Tu Tika Tours is your answer!Merv and Rangimarie greeted us at the start of the tour, ukelele in hand, and introduced us to a traditional Maori greeting. Despite the unfamiliarity of the greeting, we felt immediately comfortable and at home, like returning friends rather than tourists. Then came a formal, but heartfelt, welcoming speech, and we were off to see the sights.In addition to beautiful waterfalls and amazing trees, we learned *why* those treasures are important to the people who live there, and we learned it from their own perspective. While Whangarei Falls are beautiful, to your average tourist they're just another lovely sight to see. Merv and Rangimarie tied in their own cultural and personal experience, adding a whole next level of appreciation of the importance of the site - a lesson that can be applied to all kinds of places throughout the country.There were language tips (thanks for not laughing at our pronunciation!), stories, songs, and a delicious lunch!Merv and Rangimarie encouraged questions and discussion, which was like meeting up with friends for a brunch - plenty of thoughtful topics and lots of laughter!As it turned out, our tour was the last stop on our trip, and the farewell from Merv and Rangimarie perfectly fit our farewell to the islands -- until next time!
Tim Telfer (TTelferNZ)
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November 08, 2020
This Saturday, Bobby and I were fortunate enough to join Tu Tika Tours for a few hours exploring Whangarei. Our time with them was spiritual, informative and enlightening. I know everyone is itching to get out of the country to explore but there are enriching experiences to be had in our own backyard too. I can't recommend these guys enough.
Cedric B
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January 14, 2025
Merv & Rangimarie gave us the warmest welcome when we moved to Whangarei from the UK last year. Our family of four (with two young kids) had an amazing time exploring the area and learning about Māori culture with them. It was such a fun and enriching experience!
A year on, and our tour with Merv & Rangimarie still feels like a key part of our journey in Northland. They truly made us feel at home.
I can't recommend their tours enough – they're fantastic!
Adam
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August 15, 2023
We had the pleasure of joining Mervyn and Rangimarie on their 1 hour waterfront walking tour this past weekend. I have joined many brilliant walking tours all over the world but Tu Tika Tours blows them all out of the water!
Mervyn and Rangimarie are welcoming, kind, informative and funny! If you want to learn more about Aotearoa and the Māori (tangata whenua) people then I can't imagine there is any better way of doing so in all of New Zealand.
Due to a little mix up in directions we were 5 minutes late to begin the tour, Merv and Ranigimarie said they were keen to make this up to us (Even though there was really no need!) and boy did they! Our 1 hour walking tour ended up lasting 2.5 hours and by the end we left feeling not only filled with new knowledge, but also like part of their extended family.
It was a truly entertaining and heart warming experience that I would urge anybody to try.
We can't wait to come back for the more in depth Kiwi Cultural Connection tour with our new whanau.
Jette Rohde Møller
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January 01, 2024
We had a wonderful tour with Merv & Rangimarie. They are really great guides with humour and a lot of kindness. They have so much to say about their culture which is told with a lot of enthusiasm and love.
We loved weaving the flower and singing the song.
We only have good things to say. Everybody should go on a tour with them.
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92 Otaika Road, Raumanga, Whangarei 0110, New Zealand
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If you are visiting New Zealand and want to be not just a tourist, but a welcome guest, Tu Tika Tours is your answer!Merv and Rangimarie greeted us at the start of the tour, ukelele in hand, and introduced us to a traditional Maori greeting. Despite the unfamiliarity of the greeting, we felt immediately comfortable and at home, like returning friends rather than tourists. Then came a formal, but heartfelt, welcoming speech, and we were off to see the sights.In addition to beautiful waterfalls and amazing trees, we learned *why* those treasures are important to the people who live there, and we learned it from their own perspective. While Whangarei Falls are beautiful, to your average tourist they're just another lovely sight to see. Merv and Rangimarie tied in their own cultural and personal experience, adding a whole next level of appreciation of the importance of the site - a lesson that can be applied to all kinds of places throughout the country.There were language tips (thanks for not laughing at our pronunciation!), stories, songs, and a delicious lunch!Merv and Rangimarie encouraged questions and discussion, which was like meeting up with friends for a brunch - plenty of thoughtful topics and lots of laughter!As it turned out, our tour was the last stop on our trip, and the farewell from Merv and Rangimarie perfectly fit our farewell to the islands -- until next time!
This Saturday, Bobby and I were fortunate enough to join Tu Tika Tours for a few hours exploring Whangarei. Our time with them was spiritual, informative and enlightening. I know everyone is itching to get out of the country to explore but there are enriching experiences to be had in our own backyard too. I can't recommend these guys enough.
Merv & Rangimarie gave us the warmest welcome when we moved to Whangarei from the UK last year. Our family of four (with two young kids) had an amazing time exploring the area and learning about Māori culture with them. It was such a fun and enriching experience! A year on, and our tour with Merv & Rangimarie still feels like a key part of our journey in Northland. They truly made us feel at home. I can't recommend their tours enough – they're fantastic!
We had the pleasure of joining Mervyn and Rangimarie on their 1 hour waterfront walking tour this past weekend. I have joined many brilliant walking tours all over the world but Tu Tika Tours blows them all out of the water! Mervyn and Rangimarie are welcoming, kind, informative and funny! If you want to learn more about Aotearoa and the Māori (tangata whenua) people then I can't imagine there is any better way of doing so in all of New Zealand. Due to a little mix up in directions we were 5 minutes late to begin the tour, Merv and Ranigimarie said they were keen to make this up to us (Even though there was really no need!) and boy did they! Our 1 hour walking tour ended up lasting 2.5 hours and by the end we left feeling not only filled with new knowledge, but also like part of their extended family. It was a truly entertaining and heart warming experience that I would urge anybody to try. We can't wait to come back for the more in depth Kiwi Cultural Connection tour with our new whanau.
We had a wonderful tour with Merv & Rangimarie. They are really great guides with humour and a lot of kindness. They have so much to say about their culture which is told with a lot of enthusiasm and love. We loved weaving the flower and singing the song. We only have good things to say. Everybody should go on a tour with them.