Project Type: Hotel and Leisure facilities
Located 45 minutes from New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, this natural phenomenon offers a huge opportunity for the site owners to help revitalise the once iconic and vibrant seaside town and also to provide a type of facility that is not currently available in New Zealand. Stage one, shown here, involves the development of a seaside 200 key hotel, with thermal baths and conference facilities. Stage Two will involve the redevelopment of the existing family oriented water park and town centre.
For centuries before European settlement, indigenous Maori travelled to the therapeutic thermal waters to relax and heal themselves. Bones littered the beach, evident of tribal battles that occurred for possession of the area and its precious water.
It was common to see up to 3000 Maori people at a time soaking in the naturally hot water by digging holes in the sand and letting water seep in.