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Rotorua sits in the rohe (territory) of Te Arawa, a confederation of iwi and hapū descended from the Te Arawa waka. Different parts of the city are associated with different hapū — Ngāti Whakaue with Ōhinemutu and the city centre, and Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao with the Whakarewarewa valley. The cultural operators are run by those hapū.

Evening experiences are a full package: a pōwhiri or welcome, a kapa haka performance, a hāngī dinner and usually a bush or geothermal walk, running about three hours with hotel pick-up. Daytime visits are shorter and focus on the living village, the geothermal valley, or the carving and weaving schools, and cost less. Many visitors do one of each.

Yes, when you visit the ones that invite visitors and you follow their guidance. The living village and the cultural operators are set up to host manuhiri (guests) and the income supports the community. The etiquette that matters: follow your guide, do not enter marae grounds or the urupā (burial ground) uninvited, ask before photographing people, do not sit on tables or eat in wharenui, and remove shoes where asked.

You can walk the public roads and lakefront of Ōhinemutu, but treat it as somebody's home, because it is — it is a living Ngāti Whakaue village, not an attraction. Stay off marae grounds and private property, do not photograph the urupā or residents, and keep noise down. A guided tour is the respectful way to see more of it.