Standing on the shores of Lake Rotorua, New Zealand, is the brand-new, Māori owned-and-operated Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa.
The purpose-built spa and bathing facility is built on the legacy of Ngāti Whakaue (local Māori tribe) culture, healing practices and manaakitanga – the centuries-old and internationally renowned Ngāti Whakaue concept of welcoming manuhiri (visitors). Wai Ariki means chiefly waters in Māori.
At this cultural wellness destination, groups can relax their body, mind, and soul by paying a visit to the Sanctuary, which offers a range of facials and massages; or indulge in a two-hour-long Restorative Journey through Rotorua’s geothermal waters.
The two-hour-long Restorative Journey begins with a series of waterfall showers, before proceeding into three saunas of differing heat levels, interspersed with wades in an ice-cold pool, and capping off with an ice cold bucket dunk. These fire and ice caves gives visitors a series of hot and cold, wet and dry experiences to invigorate the body and soul to provide transformative well-being.
Guests are then invited to soak up the healing properties of the spa’s geothermal waters in five pools ranging from an ice plunge pool at 12°C to the hottest pool that caps out at 41°C, all of which open out to a panoramic view of Lake Rotorua.
After which, visitors are then invited to slather themselves in mud and lay on lounges to rejuvenate and nourish the skin, and connect with the land as the Ngāti Whakaue have done for hundreds of years.
The final leg of the journey is the steam cave, where guests should allow the mud to soften while lying on a heated platform, before cleansing themselves with a shower.
Aside from its wellness offerings, Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa is open to host private corporate buyouts. The Sanctuary portion alone is good for up to 40 pax, while the Restorative Journey concourse is good for 150 pax. Both can be combined to accommodate around 200 pax.
