About | Hell’s Gate Geothermal Reserve
Hell’s Gate Geothermal Reserve is a geothermal wonderland complete with mud bathing and thermal pools. A truly unique experience and must do when you’re in Rotorua!
Start your experience by going on the geothermal walk, either with a guide or self-guided. Grab a map and read up on the fascinating area, with spluttering mud pools and covered in a cloud of rising steam. See the Southern Hemisphere’s largest hot waterfall and New Zealand’s largest mud volcano, as well as lots of steamy cliffs, hot water pools and lakes and land coral.
This place was once used by Māori warriors who would come to heal their wounds. The nutrient-rich waters and mud have been used for their healing properties for more than 800 years. In 1934 an Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw, visited and said that this very place was inspiration to change his once atheist views, and said, “This could be the very gates of hell.” Which is how Hell’s Gate Geothermal Reserve got its English name.
Pass the Carving House and if you’ve joined a tour you can try your hand at woodcarving and take it home with you. To finish off, go back around to the geothermal mud foot pools, take your shoes off and give your feet a good soak. Ahhhh, bliss.
The full walk takes an hour, or take the shortcut and manage it in just 25 minutes.
When you finish up, grab your things and head on through to the thermal pool complex where you can relax into the rest of your day, the perfect finish to your experience.
Coat yourself in the nutrient-rich mud and leave with soft and rejuvenated skin. The mud is nice and fine and comes from the Medicine Lake not far from the mud pools (you can have a look for yourself on the geothermal walk). It’s not every day that the kids get to play in mud so they’ll love getting messy, too!
After showering off, relax in the milky thermal pools that look out to the geothermal area. The water is nice and warm and helps in relaxing those muscles so you’ll leave nice and floppy.
The pools range from 37 – 41°C, depending on the temperature of the day.
If you’re looking for a more romantic night out, experience the mud baths and sulphur spas by night.
Opening hours: hours and days can change, check their website for the latest information.
What if it’s raining?
Rain brings out bigger steam clouds and slurpy mud pools which makes for a way cooler and more dramatic experience. Bring the rainjackets or purchase a poncho if you’ve forgotten yours. The mud baths and sulphur spas are shaded and a little rain wouldn’t hurt ya, if anything, would add to the experience.
Can I bring the kids into the mud baths and sulphur spas?
To hop in the sulphur spas, little ones will need to be 6 months or older and for the mud baths, at least 2.5 years old. Make sure they’re drinking lots of water and it’s recommended that they don’t bathe for extended periods of time.
Help. After visiting Hell’s Gate Geothermal Reserve, the sulphur smell is still in my swimwear – how do I get it out?
Being a geothermal bathing spot, the sulphur smell can easily transfer to your togs. To completely avoid this situation, you can hire swimsuits so you don’t have to worry about a thing. Otherwise, bring your own and follow these care instructions:
- After getting out of your togs, rinse it thoroughly before leaving Hell’s Gate Geothermal Reserve, to get as much of it out as you can.
- Wash your togs separately (you don’t want it transferring to your other clothes and end up with an even bigger problem), with cloudy ammonia (if you don’t have any you can purchase some from Hell’s Gate), in cold water, as soon as possible.
- Let it line dry – the heat of a dryer will set the smell.
Nearby
Okere Falls
Hamurana Springs
Whakarewarewa Forest (Redwood Forest)
Te Puia
Location
Photos
The mud baths and sulphur spas
We started our Hell’s Gate Geothermal Reserve experience with a mud bath and rated it as one of the most unique and fun things we did in Rotorua. We gently rubbed a thin layer of soft grey mud all over our body and let it soak in and do its work. The kids thought it was the best thing ever, how often are they allowed to get this messy!
Showering the mud off, we could immediately feel the difference in our skin, it was amazing! As the mud was washed off our bodies, it left our skin sooo soft and supple.
We then soaked our bodies in the milky and hot sulphur spas and let our muscles relax while taking in the steamy view of the geothermal reserve.
Hell’s Gate Geothermal Reserve
When we started on the Hell’s Gate Geothermal Reserve walk, the sun had just dipped below the treeline and the place started to look dark and mysterious, adding to the character of the place. Everywhere, steam billowed this way and that, making its way slowly up into the sky and covering parts of the landscape. We followed the boardwalk, reading up about the place and how hot the steamy and bubbling pools were.
We soon found ourselves in a little forest with trees overhanging us and discovered the sweetest waterfall.
The Kakahi Falls, the largest hot waterfall in the Southern Hemisphere, is where Maori warriors would bathe their wounds after battle.
There are three types of geothermal mud on the reserve – black, grey and white.
Bubbling away at 110C, the Devil’s Cauldron contains black mud – great for treating arthritis and rheumatism.
As we made our way through the geothermal reserve, clouds of steam rising all around us, we came across a huge mud volcano, standing at 3.2 metres high and growing. Mud formations usually only reach 1 metre in height, so this one was pretty impressive. Get closer on the viewing platform.
We soon caught up to a tour guide who was with a small group of people. We listened to him speak of the place with passion and knowledge. He invited people to come and touch the water at Medicine Lake, then dipped his stick into the pool and showed people the mud that lay beneath. Smooth and soft, just like the stuff just moments ago we were rubbing against our body. This was its source.
The tour group soon left and we had the place to ourselves, so we moved closer and discovered the most fascinating mud for ourselves.
Later, we caught up to the group again and the tour guide was now talking about the different plants and trees and people from the group were holding a seed or small fruit from the tree and holding it with fascination as they shared their joy with the person next to them.
Moving on he showed the group another plant and talked about how it was very much different from its similar-looking cousin. He took some leaves from the plant and let someone from the group taste it.
The tour guide was knowledgeable and the group lucky as he imparted his wisdom upon them.
Finishing off our walk, we went back around to the geothermal mud foot pools for one last soak. Best way to end off the day.
