Rotorua — The Tohunga's Secret
Uncover the forbidden secrets of the Tohunga, Maori spiritual experts whose ancient rituals clashed with colonial laws. Decode hidden symbols across geothermal sites to reveal a conspiracy silenced by authorities.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the steaming heart of Rotorua, the Tohunga—Maori priests and healers—held immense power through their sacred knowledge of the land's fiery spirits
Rotorua — The Tohunga's Secret
You are a young Ngāti Tarāwhai descendant, in Rotorua, late 19th century.
In this steaming land, the Tohunga—Maori priests and healers—once
Quest for the Forgotten Kete Matauranga
« Knowledge resides within you, let it not be lost in dark times. »— Words attributed to a Te Arawa Tohunga, pre-1907
The Tohunga Suppression Act (1907)
At the beginning of the 20th century, as New Zealand was under strong colonial influence, the practices of Maori tohunga — healers, prophets, and guardians of ancestral knowledge — were perceived by the government and missionaries as obstacles to modernization and Christianization. Tohunga, central figures in Maori society, were the custodians of a rich oral and spiritual tradition, guiding their community through rituals, prophecies, and medicinal knowledge based on plants and natural elements.
The Tohunga Suppression Act, passed in 1907, aimed to eradicate these practices by declaring them illegal and punishable. This legislation, often described as an attempt at cultural assimilation, forced many tohunga to hide their knowledge and practice in secret, fearing imprisonment or deportation. Although the act was repealed in 1962, it had a profound and lasting impact on the transmission of Maori traditions, whose resurgence is now a pillar of New Zealand's identity.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
The Route
8 stages through the city
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Ancestral Wisdom
Uncover the secrets of the tohunga, emblematic figures of Maori spirituality and medicine, whose practices were forbidden.
Healing Nature
Explore Rotorua's geothermal landscapes and sacred forests, places imbued with mana and history for the tohunga.
Hidden Maori Art
Decipher the symbols and patterns carved in wood and stone, true visual languages of ancestral Maori traditions.
The past is never truly buried
Rediscover the forgotten words of the tohunga
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Do I need to download an app?
No, never. You get a link, you click, it plays in your browser. That's the point of a PWA: same as an app, without the hassle.
Q02Does it work offline?
GPS yes (handled by your phone). Maps yes (tiles cached). AI and hints need an intermittent 4G connection.
Q03How long does a game take?
1 h 30 to 2 h 30 depending on your pace. The timer runs but only for the leaderboard — you play at your own tempo.
Q04What happens if I'm stuck?
You get 3 levels of hints per puzzle (increasing penalty). If truly stuck, you can skip the step (45-min penalty but you keep going).
Q05What's the age range?
From 12 without an adult, from 6 with an adult reading puzzles. Works for families, couples, friend groups, companies.
Q06What if my city isn't in the catalogue?
Pre-register or contact us — we'll email you as soon as your city is live.
Q07What is augmented reality exactly?
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language. At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's your answer. After each puzzle solved, a treasure chest floats in front of you. Seeing is believing.
Avis des aventuriers
Soyez le premier à partager votre expérience.
Did you play le secret des tohunga? Check the email you received after your game to leave a verified review.
Your turn to play
Unravel the threads of a forbidden history and gather the ancestral knowledge of the tohunga to pierce the veil of time.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
🪙+24 TripCoins granted with your booking
Other escape games in Rotorua, Bay of Plenty
See all games in Rotorua, Bay of Plenty→More ideas for self-guided walking tours, scavenger hunts & city quests in the same city
Other escape games in Nouvelle-Zélande
View Nouvelle-Zélande→More destinations, tours & urban treasure hunts across the country
Explore other cities in Nouvelle-Zélande
Taupo
Volcanic adventure on New Zealand's largest lake
Cambridge
New Zealand's equine capital and garden town
Ngaruawahia
Where sacred Maori rivers converge
Thames
Historic gateway to the Coromandel Peninsula
Opotiki
Where wild rivers meet golden Pacific shores
Gisborne
Where the sun rises first, amidst waves and vineyards.