Kawhia Kai Festival – Hamilton Waikato 2023 in New Zealand

The coastal town of Kāwhia on the North Island is home to the world’s largest Māori food and culture festival. The traditional food here is so good that locals call Kāwhia “Kai Food Heaven,” with “kai” meaning “food” in Māori. The Kāwhia kai festival features dishes traditionally cooked using large underground ovens called “hangis.” These dishes are then served in traditional woven linen baskets. You can also enjoy dishes made with kumara or Māori sweet potatoes, dozens of wild boar, and plenty of seafood including watercress, oysters, and snails. More specific offerings on the menu include shark liver pie, marinated mussels, whitebait fritters, small fish omelettes, and much more. The festival takes place in early February and often coincides with Waitangi Day.

Considered one of New Zealand’s top tourism experiences, the festival attracts around 10,000 visitors each year. Located on the picturesque Kawhia foreshore, it features plenty of food from the sea. Visitors can also see local artists making traditional Maori arts and crafts: raranga (flat weaving), wood carving and more. Entertainment includes kapa haka performances and tattoo demonstrations.

Kawhia is located on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island in Otorohanga, Waikato. The village, which has a population of about 650 people, is the ancestral home of the Tainui Māori people. In the 13th century, the Tainui tribe came to Kawhia Harbour and established the first Tainui settlement here.