The most important aspect of this pool, is that it has a constant temperature of approximately 93oC through the year and although it smells of sulphur and is black, the rules are, what you see and smell does not taint the food.

When vegetables are cooked in this pool, they end up with a very soft skin due to the natural softeners in the water.

If you look closely around the edge of the pool you will see what appears to be a growth of some kind.  Most people have heard of or seen sea coral. This growth is the closest thing to land coral.  It’s alive and consists of thermophyllic bacteria which is bacteria that likes heat.  This bacteria lives on the nutrients in the water and over time the bacteria gets coated with the silica in the water to produce the coral type formation that you see here. This process only occurs in the three pools in this area, as they are have the correct temperature and the correct balance of nutrients.

Click here for our guide map showing locations of all Hells Gate & Wai Ora Spa Attractions!