Rotorua Gallery Tours

Rotorua Gallery Tours

Come and discover the art, artists, stories and histories that make up our jade gallery.

Every day you can join us for a free guided tour of our jade carving studio. You'll get to meet local Rotorua artists and see first-hand how we carve jade. You guide will also explain the history of New Zealand's treasured stone - pounamu.

Tours take place at 1288 Fenton Street Rotorua and are available on-demand, 10am-3pm. No bookings are required.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT

Discover New Zealand's largest jade collection

Our gallery hosts the largest and most diverse collection of jade carvings in New Zealand. Your guide will show you many of these different artworks crafted by talented kiwi carvers, and tell you a bit about the artists behind the carvings.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT

Explore Māori history

Pounamu is the traditional Māori name for greenstone or New Zealand jade. It is found only in New Zealand's South Island, on the West Coast, created under our mountains and concealed in our rivers. We’ll take you on a journey into the important role pounamu plays in Māori culture, exploring its traditional uses and values and uncovering the legends and stories which breathe life into the stone.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT

Meet the artists

After visiting the gallery, your guide will take you into our jade carving studio and introduce to local carvers Tamaora Walker and Akapita Scally. Here you'll get to see the artists in action and learn a little bit about the jade carving process. Watch as we transform raw stone into carved art and feel free to ask our carvers some questions!

*Unfortunately, every now and again our artists may not be in the studio - but, your tour guide will still show you around the workshop and explain the carving process!

Tours Times

  • On-demand, 10am-3pm daily

Bookings

  • No bookings required

Location