Wairakei Terraces - Thermal Hot Pools

Posted by john2095 from Australia on23 Feb 2026

arrow_back Wairakei Terraces - Thermal Hot Pools

john2095 said... I was highly skeptical but the wife was oddly keen. I was not very interested in sitting around in a puddle of warm water with a bunch of strangers and nothing to do. We arrived relatively early (830am?) and probably missed the bulk of the crowd, which no doubt eased my negativity. The place was smaller than I expected with just the four mid-sized pools. It is set nicely into a curated rainforest style garden. It was calm. There was a little bit of a 'country club' vibe. The water was clean and appealing. We worked around the various pools, testing the temperature and listening to dispersed conversations; perhaps even chiming in when it took my interest. The wife was done with it before I was-she'd ticked this box. But, now, I was getting into it: happy to be floating around thinking of nothing more than whether I should move to a warmer spot, or cooler? I departed feeling relaxed and peaceful, almost smiling even, thinking that, if I lived nearby, in the routine of life, a regular slot for this would wriggle it's way in.