Te Puia asks community to Roar for Katy Perry!

For Immediate Release

19 June, 2014

Te Puia asks community to Roar for Katy Perry!

Te Puia wants to make sure Rotorua is part of the itinerary for international American pop star Katy Perry later this year – but it needs the community’s help to bring the tourism and pop icons together.

The Firework and Roar singer is bringing her Prismatic World Tour to Auckland in December, and is asking New Zealanders to suggest the best Kiwi experiences for her to take in while she’s here, hinting that she wants to enjoy “food cooked in the ground”.

“Rotorua is the traditional home of tourism in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and we have been sharing our way of life with manuhiri (visitors) for hundreds of years.

“Where else would Katy Perry be able to see all three of New Zealand’s iconic attractions on one place – geothermal activity, Māori culture, and of course, our national bird – the kiwi?” says Te Puia Market Manager - Online/Youth, Eruera West.

Traditionally, Māori cooked kai (food) in pits dug in the ground known as hangi (earth ovens). At Te Puia, this tradition continues today, along with other unique opportunities to try kai cooked using the steam and hot water naturally available in Te Whakarewarewa Valley.

“We can offer Katy Perry the hangi experience or something even more exclusive – kai cooked in a ngāwhā (natural steam vent) or in a natural cooking pool known as Ngāraratuatara,” says Mr West.

“Our Steambox experience would be something different for her to try - the distinctive sweet flavour of food that has been cooked using the natural geothermal energy of a ngāwhā.”

Te Puia’s Steambox menu includes a selection of old favourites and modern cuisine, all with an indigenous twist that could be tailored to the singer’s taste buds.

Mr West says the pop star’s experience could include an exclusive guided tour of Te Puia|New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, as well as a unique cultural performance that could see Perry swinging a poi instead of a microphone.

“A visit here would offer Katy Perry the opportunity to not only ‘experience’ but to also ‘taste’ our culture. Her kai would be cooked not only in the ground, but actually cooked by the ground,” says Mr West.

“Katy Perry has 53.6 million followers on Twitter – getting her here on our soil would help put Rotorua on the world map and our Steambox experience would tick off a major on her ‘Kiwi’ checklist.”

Te Puia have played host to many significant VIPs during the past year, with the public often unaware of the visits even taking place.

“We have systems and processes in place to host high-profile VIPs in a safe and private manner and take our role as kaitiaki (guardians) seriously. We would be honoured to be able to offer our manaaki (hospitality) to her - providing the experience she wants, with all the added extras that she won’t be able to see anywhere else,” says Mr West.

To help bring Katy Perry to Rotorua to try a hangi, please Tweet “@Te_Puia Steambox” to her Twitter account @KatyPerry, using the hashtag#KatyPerryNZ.

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