SAY HELLO


New Zealand is home to one of the most well-known welcome rituals on the planet! Known as the hongi, this symbolic custom has been practiced among Maori people for generations. It essentially means that you rub or touch noses with someone when meet them.

Participating in hongi is seen as the ultimate sign of respect and means that you have been accepted and is now part of the community. The act stems from a local legend about the creation of women. Supposedly, women were given life when the god known as Tāne breathed air into their nostrils.