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New Zealand's Rotorua Baths a testament to water's healing ways
THIS YEAR MARKS the 100th anniversary of the establishment of one of the greatest therapeutic spas in the southern hemisphere. The facility was the grand scheme of a young British physician, but it was a dream that failed. Yet, it left a surprising legacy.
Construction started on the Rotorua Baths in 1905. It was the first big investment in tourism by the nascent nation of New Zealand. The new institution was designed to offer the best thermal therapies of the day and the latest treatments. It was expected to attract patrons from around the globe.
The site was perfect. This volcanic region of New Zealand had a history of offering relief to the afflicted, predating the spa by hundreds of years. The Maori people arrived some time after 1000 AD and flourished on the North Island. In their explorations, they discovered the powers of the hot pools. In 1852 a European visitor noted the locals would place leaves on the hot stones to create herbal steam baths for treatment of a variety of maladies. They were also known to use mud packs therapeutically.
With greater European settlement and exploration of the area came increasing interest in the hot pools. Tourists pitched tents and built huts on the edge of Sulphur Bay on Lake Rotorua. On the shoreline, visitors lowered themselves into a series of pools and pits seeking relief from their ailments.
One pool offered a dark effervescent water so laden with dissolved mineral that it stained the skin, and it was appropriately named the...