"Traditionally, artists made their mark using a bone chisel, though today they tend to use less painful modern technology. True ta moko is sacred so if you're Mike Tyson or otherwise non-Maori, you can get a similar-type motif called kirituhi.
"Auckland and Rotorua are centres for the art form."
Marie Hodge, the office administrator at Te Hira Toi Ta Moko and Tattoo in Rotorua, said at least 11 tourists had been booked in for ta moko-type tattoos in the past two weeks.
She said visitors wanted to take home a permanent souvenir to remind them of their time here.
"We get so many French tourists, German and Swiss tourists and they all want moko," she said.
"They find our designs beautiful and intricate and it is a lot different to what they can get back home. A lot of the tattoos available there are kind of one-size-fits-all, but we do things which are individual and unique."
She said it wasn't just European tourists who were looking for ta moko.
"We also get a lot of Kiwis who have moved to Australia. They come back and get some work done to either remind them of their trip or to build on a moko they already have."
Top places to get tattoos
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Delhi, India
