Festive Season
Our end of year festive season is a time to make memories as a family with many special activities, shared meals and cultural experiences during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
20 DECEMBER – 5 JANUARY 2027
Watch our Festive Season 2026 movie
Our end of year festive season is a time to make memories as a family with many special activities, shared meals and cultural experiences during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
Mātāmua ‘Eyes forward’ also meaning ‘Ancient times’ in Tahitian is the theme of our festive season and highlights the cyclical nature of time in the Polynesian worldview. It is an invitation to make the most of the here and now and to reconnect with meaningful traditions that are timeless.
Handicraft workshops will introduce guests to the festive spirit with Hei po’o, the art of fresh flower crown making to brighten a special evening and Polynesian childhood games like kite-making or our version of chess called fa’anu’u. Cultural experts will show how fai transforms a string woven from coconut husk thread into geometrical figures.
It is also the setting of an unforgettable ceremony. The traditional ’umu ti is a sacred fire walk officiated by Tahu’a Raymond Graffe who reinitiated this forgotten practice. The days of preparation required for this intense feat are both mental and physical. Firewood and volcanic stones must be gathered and aligned in a long platform, while the Master of Ceremony retires to a secluded place to prepare himself before leading guests through this ancient ritual.