"That was awesome. I really enjoyed getting up there and moving around," Karli Standing (21), of Adelaide, said.
A passenger on board the cruise ship Pacific Sun, Miss Standing said she and her friends "jumped at the chance" to try a bit of Maori culture when she heard about the new tourism enterprise.
The business, Kiwiana Downunder, was set up by Doreen Whakamoe and business partners earlier this year, after she spotted a gap in the Dunedin tourism market for cultural tourism.
Miss Whakamoe moved to Dunedin from Invercargill earlier this year to begin the venture, which has so far performed six shows for the cruise ship market.
"It has been very well received, and I think it has real potential," she said.
The show was a mixture of traditional and contemporary songs and performances, with a Maori or Kiwiana twist, she said.
Poi and the haka were favourites with the audience who were encouraged to perform with the locally based troupe of between seven and 20 performers.
"At the moment we are geared for tourists, but we would like to offer it to the local public," Miss Whakamoe said.
Dunedin City Council business development adviser for the visitor industry Sophie Barker said the new business was a welcome addition to the Dunedin tourism market.
"This will become very popular," she said.
