Photo by Relaxing Journeys on Pexels
🇳🇿 New Zealand · Taupō, North Island
Photo by Relaxing Journeys on Pexels
🇳🇿 New Zealand · Taupō, North Island
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📅 Established
Thermal water documented 1874; present pool complex built 1958
✓ Verified on 2026-07-28
Taupo DeBretts Hot Springs draws natural geothermal mineral water from the Onekeneke valley on the southern edge of Taupō. The site's thermal water was documented as early as 1874, when explorer Sir William Fox described a warm stream valued by local Māori as a bathing spot; by 1894 the pools were called 'the finest natural swimming bath in the thermal district.' The present pool complex was built in 1958 by Sir Henry O'Callaghan and was extensively modernised after Barry and Carol Kirkland purchased the deteriorated site in 1987. The water, cooled from far hotter volcanic source temperatures to a bathing range of about 38-41°C, carries natural silica along with calcium and magnesium.
The thermal water here was recorded in 1874 by explorer Sir William Fox, who described a warm stream that was already 'a favourite bathing spot of the local natives.' The nearby Black Terrace, formed during the Taupo eruption around AD 186, was destroyed in the 1931 Napier earthquake. The current pool complex dates to 1958 and was substantially restored from 1987 onward under new ownership.
Phone+64 7 378 8559
Websitewww.taupodebretts.co.nz
Address76 Napier-Taupo Road, State Highway 5, Taupō, New Zealand