By Anita Moran, 12:00 PM Saturday Jan 5, 2013.

Tourists to Rotorua are choosing to take home a permanent souvenir - a tattoo.

According to [...] Lonely Planet, the North Island is the second best place in the world to get [...] a local ta moko [...].

The Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2013 lists New Zealand ahead of Morocco, Japan and the US [...].

“Think ‛Maori warrior' and an image of a fiercelooking [man] with blue tattoos swirling across his face appears,” Lonely Planet said.

“In New Zealand's [...] culture, the complex designs ‒ called ta moko ‒ represent a person's identity, origin and bravery. It's like a history on the skin [...]. True ta moko is sacred [...].”

“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 [...]: “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. [...]”