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Home / Travel

New Zealand's five top hot springs

NZ Herald
20 Dec, 2019 01:11 AM3 mins to read

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New Zealand's thermal hot spots are full of natural beauty. Photo / Supplied, Destination Rotorua

New Zealand's thermal hot spots are full of natural beauty. Photo / Supplied, Destination Rotorua

We're taking a look back at some of our favourite articles

New Zealand is full of these wondrous warm spots and many of them are free. Here are some of the best to check out around the country.

1. Wai-O-Tapu, The Bridge

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Itโ€™s a secret // the perfect natural hot water dip // @cj.archives

A post shared by Laura Molly Jane Wotton ๐ŸŒฟ (@lmjw_) on Nov 18, 2017 at 10:06pm PST

This thermal stream is a great spot to stop and relax on the drive to Taupo - it's located around 50km south of Rotorua, near the Waiotapu Thermal Park. One end of the stream is cool, while the other is hot - pick a space in between to choose your ideal temperature.

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2. Kerosene Creek

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๐Ÿ“Kerosene Creek - Rotorua, NZ | Bain ร  38 degrรฉs en pleine nature ๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿง–๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ #dรฉtente #spa #kerosenecreek #rotorua #cascade #waterfalls #newzelande #nouvellezelande #nz #whvnz #pvtnz #pvtnouvellezelande #whvnewzealand #exploremore #backpack #friends #love #roadtrip

A post shared by Mathilde Rougier โœฟ (@mathildergr) on Nov 25, 2019 at 10:18pm PST

The Rotovegas region is so geothermally gifted, it's only fair to include two from this area. Not far from The Bridge is Kerosene Creek - where hot water bubbles into the cool creek from underneath. This spot features a beautiful 2m waterfall for bathers to sit under and enjoy the ultimate spa treatment.

3. Welcome Flat Hot Pools

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Welcome Flatใซ่กŒใฃใฆๆฅใพใ—ใŸใ€‚ ใƒˆใƒฌใƒฉใƒณ de 1day. ใ„ใ„ๆนฏๅŠ ๆธ›ใงใ—ใŸ๏ผ #welcomeflat#welcomeflathut#็ง˜ๆนฏ #nz#newzealand#mountain#mountainviews#hiking#trekking#greatwalks#landscape#hikenewzealand#view#viwes#epic#epicday#awesome#awesome_earth#ๅฑฑ#็™ปๅฑฑ#ใƒ‹ใƒฅใƒผใ‚ธใƒผใƒฉใƒณใƒ‰ #santrail

A post shared by ryuhey ishijima (@ryuhey99) on Apr 8, 2019 at 2:31am PDT

It's a long and sometimes dangerous hike to get to these pools, located on the Copland River near Fox Glacier. The seven-hour walk can be difficult in bad weather and shouldn't be attempted without good clothing and food supplies. But it's worth the trek - you'll be rewarded with four hot pools surrounded by some of the best views in the country - snowy mountain peaks and dense native forest.

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4. Kaitoke Hot Springs

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Nature recharge weekend ... ๐ŸŒฑ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ™๐Ÿผ

A post shared by Collective Wairua (@collective_wairua) on Mar 2, 2018 at 11:36am PST

Another hot spot off the beaten track, you'll need to catch a ferry or a plane from Auckland over to Great Barrier Island to tick this one off the list. Take the popular walking track from Whangaparapara Rd and you'll end up at the Kaitoke stream, where four natural hot pools sit in a fork in the creek. It's a great place to commune with nature.

5. Hot Water Beach

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๐“๐“ฎ๐”€ ๐“ฉ๐“ฎ๐“ช๐“ต๐“ช๐“ท๐“ญ

A post shared by โ‹˜โ€ขโ‹™๐–”๐–‹ ๐–™๐–๐–Š ๐–œ๐–Ž๐–‘๐–‰๐–˜ โ‹œ:::โ‹ (@_k1m3erlyanne_) on Dec 1, 2019 at 11:38am PST

Everyone knows this DIY hot spring spot on the Coromandel Peninsula, so bring a spade and get digging. It's a beautiful beach with geothermal water rising from under the sand - with this combination, it's not surprising it's one of the most famous hot springs in the country.

Discover more

Travel

In hot water: The best places to bathe in New Zealand

31 May 12:00 PM

Article originally published by nzherald.co.nz on 20 July, 2016

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