Ngāwhā Springs

A cluster of distinctive mineral pools in Northland, each with its own character and name.

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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.

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.