Photo by Prosperosity, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
🇳🇿 New Zealand · Rotorua, North Island
Photo by Prosperosity, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
🇳🇿 New Zealand · Rotorua, North Island
♨ Temperature
—
⛰ Altitude
—
⚗ pH
—
💧 TDS
—
🌊 Flow rate
—
📅 Established
1882
✓ Verified on 2026-07-28
Polynesian Spa sits on the shore of Lake Rotorua and draws on two natural geothermal springs: the acidic, sulphate-rich Priest Spring (once known as Te Pupunitanga, later 'Priest's Bath') and the alkaline, sodium-silicate-rich Rachel Spring. Māori bathed in the thermal waters here for centuries before European use began in earnest in 1878, when Father Mahoney regularly bathed in hand-dug pools; the first bath house opened in 1882, followed by the Ward Baths in 1931. The site took its current name in 1972 when the government leased the Ward Baths to Polynesian Pools Limited, and its family pools now run at 33–40°C across 28 pools.
Māori bathed in these thermal waters for centuries before European use began in 1878 with Father Mahoney's regular bathing in hand-dug pools. The first bath house (Pavilion Bath House) opened in 1882, and the Ward Baths opened in 1931. In 1901 the Duchess of Cornwall and York visited (the Duchess Bath is named for her), and in 1902 Saint Mary MacKillop visited seeking treatment, later reporting the baths were easing her rheumatism. The site adopted its current name in 1972 when the government leased the Ward Baths to Polynesian Pools Limited.
Phone+64 7 348 1328
Websitewww.polynesianspa.co.nz/
Address1000 Hinemoa Street, Rotorua, New Zealand