We found the cultural centre to not have a lot of Maori culture but lots of really expensive stuff to purchase. Really disappointing. We wanted to learn more about the culture but they were not interested in talking to us when we were obviously not going to buy the ridiculously overprice handicrafts.
We had an amazing time on a rainy day in franz Josef when we couldn't go up the glacier. Jan and Brian are absolutely lovely and made every effort to make sure that our jewellery turned out perfectly. It was a lot of fun to carve the jewellery from the beautiful aotea stones unique to that region of NZ, and we now have 3 beautiful matching bracelets to remember our trip by, and I also carved a lovely pendant, all for a very good price! Do NOT buy a generic jade necklace from a standard tourist shop anywhere else, go down to the gallery and do the "carve your own" and make your own jewellery for the same price if not cheaper either for yourself or as a great gift for a loved one and have lots of fun in the process! Definitely a worthwhile experience.
A good authentic Moari arts & crafts centre. You can have a lesson & create your own jade craft . Take time to watch a very good wood carver (there most of the time or not far away !) Interesting original arts & crafts to buy.
We really enjoyed the opportunity to learn and create our own unique jade pieces. The staff were patient, friendly, knowledgeable and extremely helpful. It was a truly unique experience and a great way to spend a rainy afternoon. It gave us an excellent appreciation for the amazing talent and skill of those professional stone carving artists. Highly recommended experience!
What a fantastic opportunity to create your own masterpiece. With expert guidance from Jan and Ryan you choose your stone, create a design or use their library and start cutting, grinding, drilling and polishing until you are happy with your own result. Jan will finish it all off with a beautifully knotted cord. This day beat our expectations by a country mile. Very satisfying and excellent value for money.
We stumbled across this magic place and spent hours with the stones and the delightful and knowledgeable Jan while Margaret made me a wristlet and earrings to match my amazing pendant. Wonderful products and much history in this place, go and make your own taonga with these wonderful people!!!
Jan the owner was very knowledgeable and helpful and made you relaxed The stones and carvings are beautiful. My husband carved his own piece of NZ greenstone in their workshop
Beautiful local jewelry. Nice owners who enjoy sharing their knowledge of the area. A workshop in the back where it is possible to try some jewelry carving yourself.
I found this shop extremely interesting and an amazing place to visit. Tourists were there making their piece of jewellery. They were able to choose a stone and craft their own design or choose one from a book of designs. They all seemed to be totally engrossed in what they were doing and received expert advice and guidance from the owners. I was impressed that I was invited to observe the processes even though they knew I did not have the time to make my own piece. Give this a go but allow yourself a couple of hours as it will be a really rewarding experience.
Not a large place but it's free and there is a nice lady at the door to help. I thought prices were reasonable for hand made craft. But I wonder how some of the fine detail of the jewel was achieved pre Dremel tools. Franz Josef is a small town & the Cultural Centre is on the Main St so a visit is recommended.