The new luxury spa secured three distinguished awards.
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See below for English translation
Ka puta te ihu o Te Waiariki ki te whai ao ki te ao mārama
Kua tuia rawatia te mana o Te Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa ki te taumata whakahirahira o te ao waihanga whare.Kuawhakawhiwhia e Te Wai Ariki ki ngā tohu whakamihi e toru i te hui nui whakahirahira mō ngā rangatira waihanga whare i ngā rangi ko pahemo nei.
I toko ake ngā whakaaro mō te whare nei i ngā tau kotahi ngāhuru ki muri. Ka whakatakotoria e Pukeroa Lakefront Holdings Limited he wero mana nui, e pikau nei i ngā moemoeā me ngā tumanako huhua o Ngāti Whakaue.
Ka tau te mana o te kirimana ki runga ki ngā pokowhiwhi o RCG. He kamupene waihanga whare whakahirahira.
Nā te papai me te mana o tā RCG whakaaro me pēwhea e hiranga nui ai te āhuatanga o te whare waiariki, ka whakawhiwhia e rātau ki te taumata pine waipoporo mō te whakaahua whare rangatira tiketike katoa i te wāhanga pūwāhi.
Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa opened in June. Photo / Jono Parker
Tapirihia ki tēnei ka riro hoki i a rātau e rua anō pine koura i te wāhanga motuhake me te wāhanga whakahaere, whaihoki te wāhanga hauora.Atu i te whakamihi ki te mana o RCG me ā rātau mōhiohio ki te waihanga whare tiketike mātua he whakamihi noa ki te kaha o o rātau taringa kia tika ai te kawe i te ahurea o te iwi.
E ai ki a David Tapsell te tiamana o PLHL, e tika ana hoki kia haere tonu ngā kupu rangatira ki te rae o RCG tirohia te wāhi kua oti nei i a rātau te waihanga. He wāhi i whakatūria ai i ngā tātai kōrero o Ngāti Whakaue, he whakairo me ngā tini tai o te takiwā kai ngā wahanga o te whare.” Kāhore he wāhi o te ao hai rite ki te whare nei e hihiko ai te wairua o te iwi kāinga.
Nā RCG tēnei kaupapa i mana ai.He tāpiringa hou a Wai Ariki ki ngā tahataha o Te Rotorua nui a Kahumatamomoe, e ngakau whakaiti ana mātau i te mōhiotanga kai te awhina mātau kia hiki ai te māuri o te taone e pai ai ki ngā tūruhi e kaha anō ai te tāhūhū o te taone kia rite ki te āhuatanga o te taone i mua o te māuiui urutā.
Wheoi anō e harikoa ana te puku kua whakamihia rātau, e tū Rotorua kua mihia tātau katoa’. E rua ngā wāhi whakahirahira o Wai Ariki ko Te Āhuru Mōwai me Wai Whakaora e rua e rua ēnei whare hauora, ko Te Āhuru Mōwai he kāinga kaukau i ngā waiariki ko Wai Whakaora he kāinga kī pai ana i ngā ahurea o te whenua hai kinaki i ngā mahi romiromi me te mirimiri.
■ Kāti tirohia te pae ipurangi mō te roanga atu o ngā whakamaramatanga.
Embedded in the rich tapestry of Ngāti Whakaue narratives, Rotorua’s Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa has secured its position within the nation’s top echelon of design brilliance.
The new luxury spa secured three distinguished awards at this year’s Designers Institute Awards, symbolising a harmonious blend of traditional heritage and contemporary design.
When planning began nearly a decade ago, Pukeroa Lakefront Holdings Limited (PLHL), which owns Wai Ariki, laid down a design wero for the creation of a culturally, architecturally, experiential, and beautiful space. Architecture and design firm, RCG, responded to the challenge and brought the vision to life with award-winning results.
RCG’s groundbreaking design for Wai Ariki was awarded the esteemed Purple Pin for Best Overall Design in the Spatial Section. Furthermore, the firm secured two Gold Pins in the Public, Private & Institutional and the Healthcare and Wellbeing categories. These honours not only cement RCG’s position in the design realm but also underscore the spa’s deep connection to its unique cultural landscape.
Designers Institute Awards. From left Andy Florkowski (RCG), Sindu Morrison and Tina Ngatai (Pukeroa Oruawhata), John Lenihan (RCG), Monty.
PLHL chairman, David Tapsell, says the design acknowledgements are a testament to the unique space RCG helped create. The physical design of Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa is inspired by Ngāti Whakaue narratives, infused with local whakairo, and reflects the volcanic colour palette of the rohe.
“There’s nowhere else in the world where one can have that same experience and RCG have done a fantastic job of bringing our vision to life.
“Wai Ariki is a fitting and striking addition to the newly transformed Rotorua lakefront.
“We’re proud to be playing a key role in lifting Rotorua’s tourism offering, which is critical for our city’s build-back after COVID. Wai Ariki has now been recognised at the highest level by Designers Institute and all of Rotorua can be proud of this,” he says. Wai Ariki offers two exclusive spa areas - Te Āhuru Mōwai (Sanctuary), a premium space for bathing and spa treatments, and Wai Whakaora (Restorative Journey) a cultural thermal wellness experience. Both have been specifically designed to deliver maximum well-being benefits, building on the centuries-old healing practices of Ngāti Whakaue.
■ For a deeper dive into Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa, visit www.wai-ariki.co.nz.
