Tokaanu Thermal Pools

Soak in natural mineral waters

The pools are simple and unpretentious, which is part of their charm. The private natural mineral pools sit at 39°C to 41°C — comfortably hot enough to ease tired muscles — and are fed by the same thermal springs that have drawn people here for generations. After a long soak, many visitors move down to the large public pool, kept at a gentler 36°C to 38°C with fresh chlorinated water. Right beside it is a separate 36°C heated pool for accompanied preschoolers, so families can soak together rather than taking turns.↗

Locals and visitors alike come for the therapeutic feel of the mineral water. If you have spent the day hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing or skiing Mt Ruapehu, a soak in the hot pools is a popular way to finish the afternoon, and the thermal setting makes it a favourite field-trip stop for school groups too.↗

A living thermal tradition

Tokaanu sits within the Taupō Volcanic Zone, one of the most active geothermal regions on Earth, stretching from White Island to Mt Ruapehu. The water in the pools began as snow and rain high in the mountains, percolating slowly through the ground until it reached hot volcanic rock far below and was driven back to the surface, enriched with minerals. That is why the springs run continuously and why the area still steams.↗

For the people of Ngāti Kurauia the thermal area is more than scenery. They have lived alongside the Tokaanu Stream and its springs since the 16th century, and the hot water and steam vents are still used for communal cooking and for dyeing traditional clothing, as well as for bathing and their healing qualities. Swimming here means sharing in a tradition that long predates the modern pool complex.↗↗

Add the Tokaanu Thermal Walk

The pools and the free Tokaanu Thermal Walk are right next to each other, and the two are best enjoyed together. The walk is a 500-metre easy loop that takes 10 to 30 minutes and winds through attractive native bush past steaming hot mineral pools set in sinter basins and spluttering mud pots. It is a great, stroller-friendly option for kids and makes the perfect pre-soak exploration. Keep an eye on the cold Tokaanu Stream that runs beside the hot ground, where rainbow trout are often visible.↗

Visiting in practice

The pools open from 10am to 8pm every day of the year except Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Admission is inexpensive and split into two tiers: the natural private mineral pools cost around $12 for adults and $8 for children under 16, while the public pool is about $8 for adults and $6 for children. Seniors and children under five (free with a paying adult) get concessions, spectators are not charged, and group discounts for parties of ten or more are available on request.↗

The site on Mangaroa Street in the small village of Tokaanu has wheelchair-accessible parking and an accessible entrance, and it sits just off the road between Tūrangi and the southern Lake Taupō communities — an easy add-on to a drive around the lake.↗↗