Ngāwhā/New Zealand
Ngāwhā Springs
A cluster of distinctive mineral pools in Northland, each with its own character and name.
itravelNZ
- Bathing
- Outdoor
- Established
- 1885
Ngāwhā Springs, inland from Kaikohe, is a field of small mineral pools rather than a single bath. The waters are dark, sulphurous and unusually mineral-heavy — the springs sit above a mercury-bearing geothermal system — and each named pool has its own colour, smell and reputed effect.
Balnevia view
Why visit
Nowhere else in New Zealand offers so many different waters within a few steps, and the pools remain deeply local, cared for by the hapū who have always used them.
Recommendations
Hotels nearby
Explore places to stay near Ngāwhā Springs.
The water
Thermal water
- Source
- Ngāwhā springs
- Mineralisation
- Sulphurous, strongly mineralised water
- Character
- Dark, oily-looking waters from a mercury-bearing geothermal system; each named pool differs in colour, mineral load and temperature.
History
The springs have been used for bathing and healing by Ngāpuhi hapū for centuries, and a rough bathhouse served visitors from the late nineteenth century. A new complex of pools and changing facilities, developed by the local owners, opened in 2020, replacing the much-loved but ageing timber baths.
Practical information
Waters are naturally dark and strongly mineral; they will stain light swimwear and jewellery. Pools vary in temperature, so it is worth asking staff which to try first.
Getting there
About 5 km east of Kaikohe in the Far North, roughly three and a half hours north of Auckland.
Location
Related places
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