OUR STORY A sense of place

wai ariki chiefly waters

Haere whakamua, hoki whakamuri – Looking to the past to support the future.

Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa is grounded in te ao Māori (Māori worldview) and Ngāti Whakaue healing practices. This unique spa and wellness experience offers authentic manaakitanga – the centuries-old and internationally-renowned concept of welcoming and caring for manuhiri (visitors).

Wai Ariki means ‘chiefly waters’ and directly connects to the origin of Rotorua’s geothermal waters which were called to Aotearoa (New Zealand) by Ngātoroirangi – the ariki (great chief) and tohunga (priest) of the Arawa waka (vessel) that brought Ngāti Whakaue ancestors to Aotearoa from Hawaiki.

Not long after the Arawa waka landed at Maketū, Ngātoroirangi left to explore the new lands. During his travels he challenged himself to ascend to the summit of Mt Tongariro.

Ngātoroirangi was overtaken by snow, ice, and freezing winds while on the peaks of Mt Tongariro. Fearing for his life, he called out in prayer to his sisters, Haungaroa and Kuiwai, who remained in their homeland of Hawaiki. Responding to his cries, they sent the subterranean goddesses of fire, Te Pupu and Te Hoata, to bring warmth and save him.

As Te Pupu and Te Hoata journeyed across the land, they unleashed their fiery essence in their desperate search for their brother. Their passage marked the landscape with geothermal features, leaving behind the steaming vents, bubbling pools, and hot springs we know today. Finally, they reached Ngātoroirangi, delivering the lifesaving heat and fire that saved him from certain death. Their journey not only rescued Ngātoroirangi but also endowed the land with the geothermal resources we still draw on today.

The elders of Ngāti Whakaue have always known and used the innate healing properties of the waters in their whenua. They would visit the waiariki (hot springs) in conjunction with immersion in the contrasting waipuna (cold springs), for therapy and healing.

These traditional practices are at the heart of the Wai Ariki spa journey, offering the same healing benefits for manuhiri from across Aotearoa (New Zealand) and around the world.