Waiwera Hot Pools is a hot springs system located in the small coastal village of

Waiwera Waiwera is a small town in the north of the Auckland Region in New Zealand. Waiwera is 6 km north of Orewa, 6 km south-east of Puhoi, 23 km south-east of Warkworth and approximately 35 km from the Auckland City centre. The ...

, just north of

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. They were known to the Māori people for centuries before being developed. In the 1960s and 70s overproduction and overpumping of the geothermal aquifer led to significant loss of pressure and desiccation of the springs in the late 1970. A decade later the thermal springs began to recover, although the system has not returned to the former artesian conditions. The commercial establishment, Waiwera Hot Pools, a large

thermal spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring (hydrology), spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are als ...

and water park, was branded as Waiwera Infinity Thermal Spa Resort at the time of closure in 2018. The park had been New Zealand's largest

water park A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...

. The complex claimed 350,000 visitors per year and consisted of 26 pools plus various slides. The park closed to visitors in February 2018.

History

Hot Springs Hotel, Waiwera (20876349044)

The presence of

hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...

s bubbling up through the sands of Waiwera Beach was known to

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

in pre-European times, and the name Waiwera means 'hot water'. Commercialisation commenced in 1875 when Scottish-born entrepreneur Robert Graham built bathing facilities at the beach and a hotel nearby. The resort became one of the most popular attractions in the

Auckland Region Auckland () is one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland Metropolitan Area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. Containing ...

during the 1870s, when a regular steam boat service brought tourists from central Auckland to the resort. The natural springs ceased flowing in the 1870s, when Graham bored into the earth, and began bottling and selling Waiwera mineral water. In the 20th century, the resort was redeveloped into a modern

. Water activities included hydroslides such as Speed slide, Twister and Kids Chute; Lazy River; Movie pool showing 3 movies a day; Aquacise fitness classes and Swimming school. In February 2018 the park was closed to visitors and has since fallen into a state of disrepair.

References

{{reflist Hot springs of New Zealand Spas Rodney District Landforms of the Auckland Region 1875 establishments in New Zealand 2018 disestablishments in New Zealand