Jay-Jay Feeney has said sorry in advance to her followers on social media for a photo of her new boyfriend Minou partaking in a hongi in Rotorua while wearing a hat.
The 45-year-old radio presenter has been taking her 28-year-old Algerian beau on a tour of Aotearoa since he arrived in the country last week.
The couple's latest stop has been Rotorua, where they visited Te Puia, a Māori cultural attraction. In a Facebook post, Jay-Jay said they were halfway through their tour when they were reminded that Minou shouldn't have been wearing a hat during the experience.
"I'm going to apologise in advance for the photos," Jay-Jay wrote.
"Minou was wearing his hat. I did not even think about this until we were reminded halfway through. Sorry for any offence."
The More FM host added that Minou "loves Māori people and Māori culture" but that she was "embarrassed at her lack of knowledge" and was "determined to learn more".
Jay-Jay also uploaded the photo to Instagram with a similar disclaimer, but some commenters still felt she should take the image down.
"Considering the head is tapu for Māori, I'd just be deleting this offensive shot JJ," one fan wrote.
"Why don't you just enjoy your time without posting obsessively and obscenely... this one takes the cake. All of Aotearoa cringes."
Others thanked Jay-Jay for sharing the image and commended her on learning more about Māori culture.
"Oh wowwwwww this pic is beautiful ! Hope he's soaking up all the goodness NZ has to share with the world. He can carry our culture with him for always," one fan commented.
As part of their tour at Te Puia, the pair were welcomed with a "moving" karanga and enjoyed a private dinner cooked in a natural geothermal mud pool.
Minou also got the opportunity to learn how to do a haka on stage during a concert, a moment that Jay-Jay said stayed with him.
"Minou absolutely loved this... he hasn’t stopped chanting 'ka mate! Ka mate!' at me since."
Jay-Jay has been providing frequent social media updates of her adventures with Minou, who she struck up a relationship with online in 2018.
