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  • A steaming circular mineral pool ringed with grey river stones on a timber deck at sunset, cabbage-tree palms against an orange sky.
  • Steam rising from bubbling sulphur terraces at a geothermal reserve, a viewing platform in front and a carved Maori gateway among native bush behind.

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Hell's Gate (Tikitere)

Thermal bathRotorua, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
  • Outdoor pools
  • Wellness
  • Parking
  • Step-free access

Where these facts come from

  • Water facts read from hellsgate.co.nz, Checked Sep 4, 2026
  • Operator's site checked Oct 5, 2026 and answering

Maori-owned Rotorua geothermal reserve with a sulphur mud bath and spa, an active mud volcano and the Southern Hemisphere's largest hot waterfall.

About

Hell's Gate (Tikitere) is a Maori-owned geothermal reserve and mud spa near Rotorua, drawing on geothermal mud and sulphur mineral water whose healing properties local Maori have used for over 800 years.

Geothermal reserve walk

A walking trail winds through New Zealand's most active geothermal reserve, past erupting waters and boiling hot pools exceeding 100C, an active mud volcano, land coral, sulphur deposits and Kakahi Falls, the largest natural hot waterfall (around 40C) in the Southern Hemisphere.

Mud baths & sulphur spa pools

  • Soak in warm geothermal sulphur mud, then exfoliate and cleanse in a sulphur spa pool
  • Mud and spa pool water sits at roughly 37-41C depending on the season
  • Mud pool sessions are limited to about 20 minutes, guided by Maori elders and health advice

Maori heritage

The park is Maori-owned and interprets centuries of traditional use of the geothermal waters and mud, with visitors also able to try traditional Maori carving.

Water

Minerals
Sulphur

Source: hellsgate.co.nz · Checked Sep 4, 2026

Facilities

Treatments and care

Only facilities that are recorded are listed. An absent entry means nobody has recorded it, not that it is missing.

Location

Rotorua

Nearby

Boulder-edged thermal pool at the shore of a steaming lake, with native plants and low hills beyond in the morning light.Thermal bath

Polynesian Spa

40 °C · Rotorua

  • Water slides
  • Outdoor pools
  • Children's area

Location data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

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