A year of recognition for Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa
From global honours to recognition across the Asia Pacific, 2026 has brought a series of significant accolades for Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa, acknowledging an experience grounded in Ngāti Whakaue identity, geothermal wai (water) and a distinctly Māori expression of hauora (wellbeing).
There are many ways to measure a year. At Wai Ariki Spa, 2026 has brought recognition from across the international spa, wellness and travel community.
For a destination shaped by whakapapa (ancestral connection), place and generations of Ngāti Whakaue knowledge, these accolades carry meaning beyond the titles themselves. Together, they recognise different aspects of an experience that could only belong here in Rotorua.
Three honours at the World Luxury Spa Awards
Wai Ariki Spa received three titles at the 2026 World Luxury Spa Awards:
Determined through votes from travellers and wellness guests around the world, the awards reflect the international response to the Wai Ariki Spa experience.
The Best Luxury Cultural Spa, Global Winner title holds particular significance. Culture is not an addition to the guest experience at Wai Ariki Spa. It is foundational, carried through the stories, design, tikanga (customs) and manaakitanga (hospitality and care) that shape each visit.
Merit-led recognition from LUXlife Magazine
Wai Ariki Spa was also recognised with two international titles in the 2026 LUX Global Excellence Awards:
These awards followed a merit-led research and evaluation process, rather than public voting, adding another perspective to the recognition received throughout the year.
Together, the two titles speak to qualities that are inseparable at Wai Ariki Spa: the geothermal taiao (natural environment) of Rotorua and the cultural foundations through which the experience of wellbeing is shared.
Further recognition came through the LUXlife Leaders in Luxury Awards, where Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa was named Best Indigenous Wellness Spa Experience 2026, New Zealand.
For Wai Ariki Spa, Indigenous wellness is not a category applied after the fact. It is embedded within the kaupapa that has guided the destination from its beginning, giving manuhiri an opportunity to experience restoration and reconnection through a place and worldview that belong here.
Recognition across the Asia Pacific
The year’s acknowledgements also extended across the wider Asia Pacific spa and wellness community, with Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa named Runner Up in the Mineral or Hot Spring category at the 2026 Spa & Wellness Awards.
The recognition speaks to the geothermal foundations of Wai Ariki Spa. Wai has long been central to life in Rotorua and to Ngāti Whakaue, and today geothermal water continues to shape the bathing experiences through which guests are invited to slow down, restore and reconnect.
Building on World Spa Awards recognition
The latest honours build on Wai Ariki Spa’s success at the 2026 World Spa Awards, where it was named Oceania’s Best Day Spa and New Zealand’s Best Day Spa.
Each recognition comes from a different organisation, audience or evaluation process. Together, they tell a consistent story about a destination whose point of difference comes not from following an international idea of wellness, but from remaining grounded in its own identity.
Recognition that belongs to many
For Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa, awards are moments to pause and acknowledge the collective mahi (work) behind them.
They belong to the people who bring manaakitanga to each guest interaction. To those who share the stories and cultural foundations of Wai Ariki Spa with integrity and to the wider whānau (family and community) whose connection to this place reaches far beyond the opening of the building in 2023.
Discover Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa and experience a uniquely Rotorua expression of culture, geothermal bathing and hauora.
