New Zealand - Maruia Hot Springs

After the hard and tiring skiing incident at Mount Hutt, I could not wait to go to our next scheduled plan, which was a trip to the Maruia Springs! My aching body was screaming for some warmth and therapy. I was already imagining the warmth of soaking in the boiling, natural water. All three of us had left Mount Hutt with major bruises. Surprisingly, my boi was the one who ended up with the worst bruises.

Maruia Springs is located deep in the heart of the Lewis Pass, a hot springs wonderland with subtle Japanese flair, surrounded by the snowcapped Southern Alps. This magical retreat boasts thermal rock pools, private spas, traditional Utase-yu massage and a Japanese bathhouse set beside the river. The 100 year old hot springs are mineral laden and chemical-free, promoting healing, rejuvenation and relaxation. The only supply of food available was a takeaway snack bar which catered budget western food, and a fine dining restaurant, Shuzan where Japanese dishes were served at a costly price of NZ$50.

We called to place a booking of the rooms at the Maruia Springs Thermal Resort before we left on our way there. The drive from Christchurch to Maruia Springs took approximately three hours.

We had to drive up the mountains, which was very steep and very scary. I got to enjoy the scenery on our drive up, and I took many pictures of all kinds. I'll blog and post about what I saw next time. Who could have imagined how interesting the drive up there would've be. :P



When when we finally arrived at our destination, it started raining cats and dogs. The rooms cost NZ$140 each, and the public rock pools were provided free with accomodation. You could use the pools for a cost of NZ$10 per person if staying a night at Maruia Springs wasn't necessary for you.

We on the other hand would have the privilege of using the bathhouse, pay NZ$15 for private spas, and use the rockpools as many times as we want for 24hours. We went once in the afternoon, once after dinner, once at midnight, and then once more the next morn.

The bathhouse was divided into females and males, whereby users have to bathe naked in accordance to the japanese culture, whilst in public rock pools, it was required to be done so in bathing suits, in accordance to the kiwi culture. Heh, that was written in the rules we were required to read. I guess whoever wrote this must've thought he was being really funny.

This model of the resort is placed in the lobby. Pretty cute huh.

The cabin rooms we stayed in were surprisingly very warm and cosy. The walk from the rooms to the lobby, rockpools, or the bathhouse were less then a minute away. Very convenient and parking is just right infront of it! There weren't many people then since we went on a week day, which was a good thing for me. Too many people in a rock pool = no fun.

This is the fire place at the lobby. We were having our dinner next to it. The snack bar is named Hot Rocks Cafe, which I thought was hilarious. I was telling my boi what lousy imitation it was of Hard Rock Cafe, but then again, it does make sense. The rock pools were boiling hot!

Look at how hot the water is in the rock pools. Freaking smokin'. Before I got in the pool, I was freezing like hell. The temperature outside was only a few degrees, whilst the pool would presumably be over forty degrees. I took quite a few minutes to be able to adjust my body temprature to the differences. Too cold to stay up, too hot to dive in.

I did manage to get in after some time. It's amazing how the bois could just jump in. Wont your round ones malfunction from the boiling temperature of the water?! 0_o Hehehe!

Oh why so glum? The heat starting to kick in? Hehehe. After half an hour of being in there, the warmth of the water does feel suffocating after a while.

On our drive back to Christchurch, we stopped over at Kaikourra before heading back home. It was kinda weird finding out that there were sandflies at the rock pools! I was like what the? Wouldn't the heat kill those little pests? We found out the hard way after the bites on our skin started swelling. Damn you sandflies!

In conclusion, I would definitely suggest that you guys should visit Maruia Springs if you ever go to New Zealand. Good experience, but do remember to bring a bottle of your Rid lotion along!