Members of the New Zealand String Quartet played Mozart, Strauss and Beethoven barefoot inside a Tauranga marae for the first time in their 20 year history last night.
Huria Marae in Judea hosted the free performance as part of the Battle of Gate Pa 150th Commemoration events.
The quartet will play again this evening at 6pm, featuring music from 1864 as a tribute to the fallen British soldiers and Maori warriors.
Buddy Mikaere, project director of the commemoration, said: "We thought it would combine the two cultures by having classical music of the time played in a Maori location".
"Our hope is to provide events the general public will find interesting and lead to them discovering more about the Battle of Gate Pa that founded our city."