Ngāwhā's healing hot springs reopen after Covid shutdown

Tai Heke (Whangārei, left) and Kupe Emmerton (Warkworth) enjoy a soak in Mokopuna, one of many hot pools at Ngawhā Springs. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Northland's only natural hot pools have reopened to the public after an almost year-long shutdown due to Covid.

Ngāwhā Springs, an iwi-owned pool complex just east of Kaikohe, first closed in March 2020 for a $4.3 million upgrade.

The project included replacing run-down changing facilities, a new entrance building with rooms for health practitioners, and a barrier to protect the complex from floods that used to blanket it in mud about once a year.

The complex, owned by Parahirahi Ngāwhā Waiariki Trust, reopened in April 2021 but closed again about four months later, a victim of Covid-19 disruptions.

The pools reopened on June 23, just in time to banish the midwinter chill.

Ngāwhā Springs is currently open from Thursday to Sunday in two-hour sessions starting at 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm.

Trustee Kate Clarke said the complex closed last August when it was "just too hard" to keep the public safe and operate the pools under the red light setting.

During the closure the trust re-thought the price structure and opening times, based on the experience of four months the pools were open in 2021.

Clarke said the complex was busy "right off the bat" after last year's reopening, to the point where there was often no space to sit in the pools. Feedback from some users was that crowding affected their experience.

The trust brought in a booking system to limit the number of users at any one time and one-hour breaks between sessions so staff could check the pools, clean up, and "reset".

"This allows us to make sure everyone has a memorable experience. It's also a way for us to protect the taonga," Clarke said.

Booking online or by phone was recommended. People could just turn up but they ran the risk the session would be fully booked.

Pool attendant Willi Henley tests the temperature in Favourite while visitors from Whangārei enjoy the water. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Trust co-chair Beaumyn Wihongi said the hot springs, Ngā Waiariki o Ngāwhā, and their healing properties were discovered by tupuna whaea Kareariki around 1450AD.

The waiariki were literally "waters of the gods".

"Our people hold a deep spiritual and physical connection to these waters ... Our hapū, Te Uri O Hua, have been the sole guardians and owners of Ngāwhā and see our position more as kaitiaki of this taonga. We take seriously our role as kaitiaki of Ngāwhā to ensure our taonga are well cared for not only economically but culturally as well," Wihongi said.

Entry fees have also changed with a new three-tier price structure for locals, Northlanders and everyone else.

Clarke said the pools were run by volunteers before the revamp, but they were now operated by full-time paid staff including pool attendants.

The new price structure had allowed the trust to create employment while keeping the pools affordable for locals.

When the pools first reopened the local rate applied to anyone living within the Far North District Council's western (Kaikohe-Hokianga) and eastern (Bay of Islands-Whangaroa) wards.

That had now been reduced to the area around Kaikohe.

The revamped pool complex at Ngāwhā Springs, just east of Kaikohe, is open again after an almost year-long closure. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Another price level had been brought in for the rest of Te Tai Tokerau, which meant Northlanders didn't pay the full general admission rate.

Clarke said there had been some grumblings from people who had previously paid the local price but now paid the Te Tai Tokerau rate.

However, people living in Te Hiku ward — in Kaitaia, for example — now paid less than they did last year.

"Overall the feedback has been positive. People like the time slots and being able to book. We were expecting more pushback," she said.

The Ngāwhā Springs upgrade was funded by the Government's Provincial Growth Fund ($1.79m), Foundation North ($1.8m), Lotteries ($710,000), Te Puni Kōkiri and Northland Inc.

A series of carved pou at the centre of the revamped Ngāwhā Springs hot pool complex. Photo / Peter de Graaf

■ The new rates are $6 for local residents ($4 for schoolchildren), $15 ($7) for other Northlanders, and $34 ($15) general admission.
The local area, as defined on a map on the Ngāwhā Springs website, applies roughly from Waima in the west to Waimate North in the east, and Awarua in the south to Rangiahua in the north. It includes Kaikohe, Horeke, Taheke, Okaihau and Ōhaeawai.
The Te Tai Tokerau concession applies to anyone who lives within the Northland Regional Council boundary.
Proof of address is required for reduced rates. Entry is free for preschoolers and discounts are offered to Gold Card holders.
Registered descendants of the original Parahirahi Ngāwhā Waiariki owners pay the local rate wherever they live.
Go to www.ngawha.nz for more details.