Mount Maunganui

Mount Maunganui, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

Location: Mount Maunganui, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
Water type: sodium chloride
Temperature: 40 °C
pH: 7.3

Water profile

Thermicity

Sedative

40 °C

LowHigh

Relaxing — deep, immediate muscle release.

Mineralisation

Restorative

LowHigh

Loaded with major ions — the essential minerals (Ca, Mg).

Buoyancy

Effortless float

LowHigh

Dense, salty water — you float without effort.

SodiumChloruresBrome

The story of Mount Maunganui's hot pools began by accident: in the 1950s, the town needed fresh water for its growing population and turned to a local water diviner, Mr Claris. Rather than finding drinking water, he struck hot salt water rising from the ground at the base of Mauao — a phenomenon locals had already been exploiting informally since the 1920s by digging pools straight into the beach. The first official pool opened on 2 January 1966.

For decades afterward, the site was said to be the only natural hot saltwater pool in the entire Southern Hemisphere. The water originates from underground salt streams 600 metres below Mauao, heated by geothermal activity from the Rotorua region 70 km to the south; seawater is pumped in from nearby Pilot Bay, then filtered and warmed through titanium heat exchangers.

Insider tip — Mount Maunganui Hot Salt Water Pools sit at the base of the iconic Mauao volcanic cone where the Taupo Volcanic Zone meets the Bay of Plenty coast, offering an unusual combination of geothermal and sea-salt bathing in four outdoor pools at around 40°C. The oceanside location means bathers can look out over Tauranga Harbour and the Pacific between soaks. The nearby surf beach and the summit walk up Mauao make this a perfect activity hub. The pools have been a community fixture since 1915 and are among the most visited thermal facilities in New Zealand.

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