Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa in Rotorua is edging closer to completion, with the roof now in place on the significant development.
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Tai timu, tai pari, kua puta iti nei tātau i ngā herenga o te māuiui kōwheori o te māuiui urutā. Kai te hāngai hoki tēnei whakaaro ki tētehi ohu kua rima tau e whakatakoto whakaaro, e whakatakoto rautaki ana mō tētehi whare hou. Ko Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa in Rotorua te whare e kōrerongia nei e tātau. Kua whai tuanui ia,ka wā iti anō, kua ea katoa i ngā mahi uaua.
Kai te puku o te tau hou ngā hiahia o te iwi ki te pūare i tēnei whare hou ki te hāpori. Koia te manu taikō e noho mātārae ana ki ngā tahataha o Te Rotorua nui a Kahumatamomoe. Me hari koa te pikitūranga o Pukeroa Oruawhata a David Tapsell. Kua puta tēnei kaupapa i te korokoro o te parata i raru ai tātau katoa i ngā tau e rua kua pahemo.
“Kai te hura mai te tīnana o tō tātau whare ināianei, nā reira e mōhio pū ai mātau ki te puku o tēnei whare kai te kitea ā kanohi nei ngā mea ka tāea e tātau, ngā mea e kore e tāea e tātau.”
He whare hauora tēnei e whakakotahi nei i ngā mātauranga hauora nō tūāukiuki. Tūturu ko tētehi o ngā tino taonga ko ngā waiariki nā reira e mana nui ai a Ngāti Whakaue te mana whenua o tēnei pīhi whenua. E ai ki a Matua Tapihana, he haerenga whakaora tangata tēnei kaupapa. E noho tahi ai te tūroro, te manuwhiri rānei me te whenua me ngā wai Māori ko te tumanako ia kia kaha ake te hauora me te wairua o te manuwhiri.
E rua ngā wāhi nui: Ko Te Puna Kaukau Korohuhū me Te Ahuru Mōwai. Kai tēnei takiwā ka kaukau te manuwhiri ka rōmia hoki tōna tīnana ki ngā rongoā. He wāhi kai, kai tahaki he toa hoko taonga kai tētehi atu taha o te whare.
Te manuwhiri ka hau atu ki Te Puna Kaukau Korohuhū ki a ia tētehi kaupapa whakamīharo. Ko Haumanu Haerenga tēnei. E noho tahi ai te wai wera me te wai mātao. Ko ētehi atu o ngā tūnga whakamīharo ko te puna otaota ka whakaranungia ki te wai Māori hai rongoā, he wāhi hoki e kaukau ai te manuwhiri ki ngā waiparu he tikanga tēnei onamata i kitea i te whenua o Roma hoki.
“Kai ia kokonga o tēnei haerenga e tūhono ai te manuwhiri ki te mana whenua, ki ngā uri o Ngāti Whakaue, wāna tātai kōrero, wāna hītoria mai i te orokohanga mai o te ao moroki noa nei. Ko te tino wāhi pea ko te whare e whakakotahi ai te māuri o ta taiao anuanu me te tai ao pakapaka kia rite ai ki tō tātau tohunga ahorei ki a Ngātoroirangi nānā i karanga ēnei tupua ki te whenua e nōhia nei e tātau. Ka tata ki te mate ka puta ngā tupua ka ora te tohunga ki runga o Tongariro. Nā reira he mana tēnei whare, he mana tiketike he wānanga whāngai mātauranga, tuku kōrero ki a mātua mōhio ai ngā manuwhiri ki te wehi o te whare tapu o Ue. Kauaka ki Aotearoa anake engari huri rā, huri noa te ao.”
E ai hoki ki a Matua Tapihana, “Nō Ngāti Whakaue te mana tūturu o te Wai Ariki nā rātau ake ngā tūāpapa hoki e tū wehi ai tēnei whare. He ahakoa he pou huriropa, he kaokao, he paetara, he kaho matapū, mēnā kai te puna kaukau koe he mana anō hoki ki reira, katoa ēnei i takea mai i te puna mātauranga o Ngāti Whakaue, mai i ngā Rangi tūhāhā heke iho ki te mata o te papa tūāhuroa e takoto nei – ko tō tātau whare he whare Māori, Māori katoa mai, anā tō tātau mana!”
He tuatahitanga hoki tēnei whare. Ko te whare Wai Ariki tūturu he Māori katoa te whare, ae, engari anō hoki kare kau tētehi pānga o iwi kē atu ka whakatata mai ki a ia. Nō te mana whenua te māuri tae rawa ki te haeoratū o te whare. He whare nā Pukeroa Oruawhata i āta waihanga, ā, ka awhinangia iti nei hoki rātau e te Provincial Growth Fund.
Ko Belgravia Leisure te tūranga whakahaere o tēnei whare. He mātanga kua toru tekau o ngā tau e mahi ana i tēnei ao, whaihoki nō Ahitereiria ia. E ai hoki ki a Tapihana, ko Wai Ariki te take i whakaraarangia a Rotorua hai tāone i ngā rau tau kua hori.
“Nō te tau kotahi mano, e waru rau ka tae mai te manuwhiri ki Rotorua nei. He nui hoki ngā take. He kaukau, he titiro ki te ao o ngā tūpuna me ērā tūmomo āhuatanga katoa. Nā te ingoa Wai Ariki kua taitara nui te tāone o Rotorua hai wāhi whakamīharo e whakapāoho atu nā i tana karanga ki te ao, otīā ki ngā tōpito o ngā maunga whakahī o tērā whaitua, o tērā moutere, o tērā whenua. Ko te karanga nui ki ngā manuwhiri kia kauria ngā wai o ngā ariki e ngākau hihiko ai te wairua.”
Ko tētehi anō painga ko te hāpai me te toko i ngā mahi tāpoi kua roa e noho take kore ana. Wheoi anō nā tēnei ka wehi nui ai a Ngāti Whakaue, a Ngai Te Arawa, otīā a Rotorua me Aotearoa whānui tonu.
“Mā te whare o Wai Ariki e tupu ake ai te moni o te tāone, mā tēnei kaupapa e tupu ake ai te rahi o te tangata, hei oranga ngākau mō te hāpori me te tāone katoa, kāti nā tēnei kaupapa hoki e whakarauora anō ai ngā tūkinotanga o te māuiui urutā, me te karanga atu ki ngā manuwhiri, kia noho mai, takoto e hoa mā, e moe.”
Ka pūare ngā whatitoka ki te ao ka whai tūnga mahi hokorua tangata nā wai rā ka piki atu ki te hokotoru tangata, kai te puku o te tau hou pūare ai tēnei whare.
Ko te tātai kōrero mō Te Wai Ariki nā Inia Makiwhara i kohikohi hai puna hītoria mā Ngāti Whakaue.
Ko Te Wai Ariki, tōna whakamaramatanga ake, ko te wai he puna wai Māori, ko te Ariki, koia te kāwai toa heke iho i ngā atua o te pō. Kāore e rite tahi nei ki te rangatira, ehara. He rerekē. E ai ki a tātau ko Ngātoroirangi tō tātau tohunga ahorei. He tohunga kōkōrangi, he tohunga whaiwhaiā, he tohunga hoki nō te ahurewa o Hāwaikinui. Nānā a Te Arawa i uta ki te whenua i hīā ai e Māūi.
E taunaha whenua ana a Ngatoroirangi me tana pahi. Koia anake te toa i piki ki te tihi o te māunga. Ka noho āna tangata ki te pūtake. He huka, he tio, he haunui, ka tata te mate ki a ia. Kai raro e takoto ana e koromemeke ana tō tātau tohunga, ka karakiangia ōna tūāhine me ō rāua tupua. Ko Te Pupu ko Te Hoata. Kai Hāwaiki noa ngā tupua ka rukua ngā wai tai, ka tū ki whea, ka tū ki uta, ka tū ki whea ka tū ki uta, nā wai rā, ka pakaru te tihi o te māunga. Ka whakaorangia tō rāua tohunga e mea ana ngā kaumātua nā rāua i haria mai te ahi hai oranga mōna. Ka ora a Ngātoroirangi.
Ko te kōrero anō hoki a wētehi, ka noho hoki ēnei tupua ki Ōhinemutu te whenua taurikura o Ngāti Whakaue, ā, me te whenua e tū ana tō tātau whenua whakahirahira. Ka māuiui ana , ka taumaha ngā pakeke ka haere ki ngā waiariki, ka kauria ngā waiwera, ka kauria ngā waiparu, e ora ai anō te tinana. Koia nei te Poutokomanawa o tēnei whare hauora. He koha ki te iti, ki te rahi he ahakoa nō te whenua nei nō tāwāhi kē, ko te karanga tēnei a Ngāti Whakaue ki a kotou. Naumai, haramai.
Ko Pukeroa Oruawhata
He tautawhito a Pukeroa Oruawhata nō mai anō i te ao pākihi. E whia kē ngā kaupapa nui whakaharahara kua oti kē i a ia te whakatū. Hai aha? Hai oranga mō āna uri, mo te whare tapu nui o Ue, mō ngā whānau me te hāpori hoki. Nā tana rautaki kakamā i pakari ai te momona o tana tāhua pūtea ki te toru rau e rima tekau mā waru miriona tāra. Nō ngā tau hokorua anake tēnei tutukinga e hoa mā.
Belgravia Leisure
He pahi rangatira a Belgravia Leisure, ki te āhua nei he kamupene tēnei. Wheoi anō. E mea ana, he mātanga ia ki tana mahi. He whakahaere ngā whare hauora pēnei i Te Wai Ariki, puta noa te ao. Atu i te kaukau he mōhio hoki ia ki te waihanga kaupapa, mahi kē atu e ngākau harikoa ai te manuwhiri. E ai hoki mēnā koe e pirangi ana ki a tū raukura ai tō kaupapa, kia wawe te whakapā ki tēnei pūkeko.
After five years of planning, geotechnical preparation, Covid challenges and building, Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa in Rotorua is edging closer to completion, with the roof now in place on the significant development.
Set to open in mid-2023, the 4453sq m development sits proudly on the shores of Lake Rotorua and will be a truly unique cultural wellness offering, unlike any other spa in the world.
Wai Ariki spa in progress - the main building is up and the roof is on. Photo / Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa
Pukeroa Oruawhata Group deputy chairman David Tapsell says the development of Wai Ariki has surpassed multiple obstacles, including Covid lockdowns, supply issues and the changing economy.
“However, the building is really taking shape and we are now able to see and feel the spaces that make this place so unique.”
Wai Ariki combines the region’s healing geothermal waters with the centuries-old legacy of Ngāti Whakaue culture, healing practices and manaakitanga (caring hospitality) to offer an authentic wellness and spa experience for manuhiri (visitors).
Tapsell says Wai Ariki takes manuhiri on a unique healing and relaxation journey, with every perfectly designed element contributing to a transformative experience to support total wellbeing.
The site has two main spa areas: Te Puna Kaukau Koruhuhū and Te Ahuru Mōwai l The Sanctuary – a premium space for bathing and spa treatments. There is also a cafe and gift shop.
Within Te Puna Kaukau Koruhuhū, manuhiri will experience Haumanu Haerenga, a restorative journey made up of a series of hot and cold experiences designed to maximise therapeutic benefit.
The journey includes unique features such as a herb pool, which combines mineral water with the aromatherapy properties of native plants to support calmness and relaxation; a mud experience, and a frigidarium, historically the cold room in an ancient Roman bathhouse.
“Every part of this journey provides a connection to the Ngāti Whakaue people and places that have come to define us through time.
“In particular, the hot and cold experiences – while delivering proven therapeutic benefits – draw on the story of our ancestor, Ngātoroirangi, who called on life-saving geothermal heat when he was close to perishing in the cold and ice on Mt Tongariro.
“This is a defining history for Ngāti Whakaue and this legacy is present throughout Wai Ariki and the wellness experiences that are available. This is part of what makes it truly unique – not just in Aotearoa New Zealand, but in the world.”
Tapsell says Ngāti Whakaue not only own Wai Ariki, but have driven the concept and development, with a deep focus on authenticity.
“Every element of the building design, spa experience, and manuhiri journey are founded on Ngāti Whakaue principles, practices, and stories, reflecting our relationship with the natural environment from the heavens to the water and the earth.
“Wai Ariki is grounded in te ao Māori, visible through the physical design of the building, its unique spa and wellness experiences, and authentic manaakitanga.”
Wai Ariki is Aotearoa New Zealand’s only spa and bathing facility developed and owned by mana whenua. It has been developed by Pukeroa Oruawhata Group (Ngāti Whakaue), with additional support from the Provincial Growth Fund.
Wai Ariki will be managed by Belgravia Leisure, an Australasian spa and wellness provider with more than 30 years’ experience in the industry.
Tapsell says Wai Ariki is the living embodiment of the reason the geothermal city of Rotorua was first established.
“Since the 1800s, people have been visiting Rotorua to experience the region’s healing geothermal waters. Wai Ariki reclaims our city’s title and re-positions Rotorua as an international spa and wellness destination.”
He says the development is not only transformative within the spa and wellness sector, but it is also a pivotal development for the wider tourism industry as well as Ngāti Whakaue, Te Arawa, Rotorua, and New Zealand as a whole.
“Wai Ariki will contribute to the ongoing growth of the local and international visitor economy, enhancing Rotorua’s existing spa, health, wellness and visitor experiences.
“The development will significantly support the economic recovery from Covid-19 by prompting manuhiri to stay longer and experience more, in our rohe.”
Once open, Wai Ariki will employ 40 staff in the first instance, increasing to more than 60 staff in time. It is expected to open in mid-2023.
The Wai Ariki story - developed by Inia Maxwell from Ngāti Whakaue
Wai Ariki means ‘chiefly waters’, and directly connects to the origin of Rotorua’s thermal waters, which were called to Aotearoa New Zealand by Ngātoroirangi – the great ariki (chief) and tohunga (priest) of the Arawa waka (the canoe or vessel that brought the tribe of Te Arawa to Aotearoa New Zealand from Hawaiki).
Ngātoroirangi became overcome by snow, ice, and wind on the peaks of Mt Tongariro, and prayed to his sisters in Hawaiki to send fire to revive him. Te Pupu and Te Hoata, the subterranean goddesses of fire, made their mark on our land as they desperately searched for their brother. Finally, they reached Ngātoroirangi, bringing heat and fire, saving him from certain death, and leaving behind the geothermal resource we draw on today.
It is said that the sisters of Ngātoroirangi rested longer in Ōhinemutu – the ancestral home of Ngāti Whakaue and the whenua (land) on which Wai Ariki has been developed – which imbued the area with a special potency, which provides its unique healing powers. The elders of Ngāti Whakaue have always known and used the innate healing properties of the waters in their whenua. They would visit the waiariki (hot springs), in conjunction with immersion in the contrasting waipuna (cold springs), for therapy and healing.
These traditional practices are at the heart of the Wai Ariki spa journey, offering the same healing benefits for manuhiri from across Aotearoa and around the world.
Pukeroa Oruawhata Group
Pukeroa Oruawhata Group has a proven history of developing projects for the economic and social well-being of Ngāti Whakaue whānau and the wider Rotorua community. Its strategy and vision have seen its assets grow to more than $358 million since 1980.
Belgravia Leisure is an acclaimed spa and wellness provider, offering award-winning spa and wellness management services, feasibility studies, spa design, operational design and consultancy services. Dedicated to providing authentic, world-class luxury wellness experiences, Belgravia Leisure manages existing spa and wellness properties and co-develops new projects in partnership with client partners, offering a portfolio of innovative experiences such as thermal/mineral springs and spas, Thalasso bathing, destination wellness retreats and boutique accommodation.
■ The inside story on Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa is thanks to the Shine Collective.
