The Coromandel

HOT POOLS

Hot water flows through The Lost Spring’s system of pools, all of which are connected. From the hottest — Crater Lake, which sits underneath the Volcano — to a cavern called the Grotto, and finally spilling out into an area known as the Bath Tub. The water that emerges from a small crack in the bedrock is sterile, fossilized after more than 16,000 years underground. It is rich in more than 400 minerals and surfaces at about 48.5 degrees Celsius, with pool temperatures ranging from 30 degrees to 41 degrees. The Lost Spring takes up about 1.4 hectares beneath a canopy of towering nīkau trees home to tūī and kererū. Lush native and tropical planting blends around the pool edges, blurring natural and manufactured. Try “The Pool Combo”, which provides the chance to explore all the pools, a platter and a cocktail, poolside or in the restaurant. 121A Cook Drive, Whitianga. (07) 866 0457 thelostspring.co.nz