Why a luxury Rotorua spa heralds a new dawn for Māori tourism

Friday, 16 May 2025

The ground-breaking Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa sits on Rotorua’s lakefront.

Rotorua's high end Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa is at the crest of a new wave of Māori tourism, but that doesn't diminish what other Māori operators are doing, its general manager says.

In a town blessed with a plethora of geothermal hot water offerings, Wai Ariki stands out for the te ao Māori and Ngāti Whakaue healing practices it is built around, as well as its award winning architectural design.

Since it opened in June 2023, that combination has been grabbing international attention, and attracting celebrity visitors such as Aquaman Jason Momoa and MKR judges Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge.

It’s not hard to see why. Wai Ariki sits on the scenic Rotorua lakefront, and is made up of mineral-rich pools, saunas, a mud room, a mist facility, private spaces for massage and facials and an eatery.

The $60 million retreat’s flagship offering is Wai Whakaora, a two hour restorative journey. This is a curated wellness experience incorporating geothermal heat, water, mud and stream, and accompanied by cultural commentary drawing on Ngāti Whakaue traditions and stories.

Wai Ariki’s flagship offering is Wai Whakaora, a two hour restorative journey.

It’s a unique offering, and it puts Wai Ariki, which is also New Zealand’s first and only iwi-built, owned and operated luxury wellness spa, at the forefront of the booming $1.2 billion Māori tourism industry.

Māori tourism was a focus at the country's largest tourism event, TRENZ, in Rotorua last week, with 31 operators in attendance to showcase their offerings to travel buyers from 26 countries.

Speaking to Stuff at the event, Wai Ariki general manager Debbie Robertson said Māori tourism was thriving because its offerings provided visitors with a deeply authentic connection to the culture, and that was unique.

“In Aotearoa, we have a fierce cohort of Māori tourism operators, who are boldly and unapologetically powered by their people and values, and that resonates with people.”

There was a real desire to connect with people and that was what Māori did well, she said.

“Anybody can swim in a pool, anybody can walk through the forest, but it's the person that you connect with, and the narratives they tell during an experience that makes the difference.

“At Wai Ariki, our own connection to Ngāti Whakaue and Te Ao Māori isn’t just part of the story, it is the story. It grounds us, guides us, and gives us the confidence to think big.”

There is growing demand for the authentic connections offered by Māori tourism, Wai Ariki’s Debbie Robertson says.

Robertson said they were honoured to be sitting at the top end of a new wave of Māori tourism, but that did not take anything away from what other Māori operators were doing, and had done in the past.

There had always been a multitude of Māori operators and products, but many operators had not known how to navigate working the trade space, she said.

“That’s changing. There’s more demand from international travellers and also from buyers who want those authentic connections. And there are many operators emerging from the wings, and that’s putting a spotlight on Māori tourism.

“But it has been there for a very long time, going back to the days of the pink and white terraces, and our generational guides.”

There were close connections between different operators, and if Wai Ariki was a bit of a poster child for Māori tourism she hoped it would bring visitors to the door of other operators, and to Rotorua, she said.

Wai Ariki is pulling in decent numbers, with 50,000 people visiting in 2024, the retreat’s first full year in operation. But Robertson expected numbers to continue increasing strongly, and that included growth in international visitors.

“Currently, about 75% of our visitors are domestic, and while it will take a little bit of time to grow international numbers that will come with increasing awareness of our product, and how what we are offering is special.

Wai Ariki employs 45 staff, of whom 80% are Ngāti Whakaue.

“But our domestic audience is very important to us too. New Zealand travelers tend to become our biggest advocates once they visit.”

Community was another key part of the Wai Ariki story, as the iwi aimed to create opportunities and jobs for its people through the retreat, she said. It currently employed 45 staff, of whom 80% were Ngāti Whakaue.

“For the younger generation, it might be employment in the future, or if they are interested in wellness or tourism it creates a positive place for people to integrate into those industries.”

Robertson believed the growth in demand for Māori tourism experiences would continue, and as it did Wai Ariki would concentrate on refining its experiences, and on getting word out about what they represented and offered.

“We are focusing on where we want to be in three years' time and what that growth might look like, and then working towards that, getting the right people in place, and supporting each other.”

They were also involved in work on the upcoming development of a new five-star hotel, Noho Lakeside, which would sit on the lakefront next to Wai Ariki, she said.

“It will compliment Wai Ariki, and attract additional visitors as it will be the cream on the top for this area, and really enhance Rotorua’s appeal as a tourism and wellness hotspot.

“We are excited about our plans, and about where our community might go.”

– Miriam Bell travelled to Rotorua to TRENZ courtesy of Tourism Industry Aotearoa.