Mōrere Hot Springs between Wairoa and Gisborne to reopen next week

Mōrere Hot Springs will reopen on May 26 after being closed in March because of critical infrastructure issues. Photo / James Pocock

The public will soon once again be able to enjoy a local taonga when the Mōrere Hot Springs between Wairoa and Gisborne reopens next week.

An alert on the Department of Conservation website confirmed this week that Mōrere Hot Springs, or Nga Hua o Mōrere, will reopen on Monday, May 26.

The facility closed for critical maintenance on March 20 because of an issue at the springs’ hot water collection point.

A DoC spokesman said at the time it hoped to have the hot springs open again by Easter, but this was delayed largely because of weather conditions, according to a previous update on the Nga Hua o Mōrere Facebook page in April.

The site will have new hours when it reopens, shifting the opening and closing times an hour earlier.

It will be open from Thursday to Monday, 10am-5pm, and closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A sign outside the hot springs while it was closed. Photo / James Pocock

The tourist attraction reopened in December last year after it initially closed on December 21, 2022, because of a failing septic tank system.

At the time, a Mōrere Hot Springs Facebook post said the old infrastructure dated back almost 40 years and had been infrequently maintained. DoC took on site management in 2019.

Cyclone Gabrielle delayed DoC securing contractors, while global supply chain delays impacted the delivery of key septic system components for the remedial works.

Predicted reopening dates were delayed multiple times because of persistent issues – first from April or May last year to June, then from June to October, and finally from October to December.

The site has been described as a taonga by DoC and locals and was traditionally used by iwi as a source of healing.