Waiwera is a small town located on the Hibiscus Coast in the northern part of Auckland at the mouth of the Waiwera River. It lies on the Twin Coast Discovery Highway 6 km north of Orewa, 6 km southeast of Puhoi, 23 km southeast of Warkworth, and approximately 35 km from Downtown Auckland. Just north of the Waiwera turn-off is the entrance to Wenderholm Regional Park, located on the other side of the headland.
Waiwera means hot water and is a shortened version of Waiwerawera. The area is known for its hot springs, which were recognised by Māori long before European settlement. They referred to the hot springs as Te Rata, meaning The Doctor. Indigenous people would travel from various parts of the island to soak in the hot springs, using large dug-out holes in the beach sand where the warm water would rise from below. Ngāti Rangi tribe was the original custodians of the land, which was protected by four fortified pā: Kakaha pā to the north, Whau pā to the south, Mahurangi to the east, and Pitawai to the west.
Around 1845, Robert Graham purchased land at Waiwera from Ngāti Rongo. He began cultivating grapevines and various fruit trees while raising cows for milk. Māori continued to utilise the area, with up to 3,000 visitors per day. Graham eventually built the first health resort in the 1870s. For a long time, they were a popular attraction, morphing into a water park in the 2000s as the hot water disappeared. However, they eventually fell into disrepair and were fully demolished in 2023. If you want to see what they looked like as a ruin, watch One of Us Is Lying, a Netflix TV show.
Despite the loss of the pools, Waiwera is worth a visit. There is a beach as the tide goes out, and the swimming is safe. The short walk around the sandy river estuary, which is a bird sanctuary, is lovely and a perfect spot for a picnic. Waiwera is also on Te Araroa, which comes down through Wenderholm, along the beach, then around the cliffs at low tide to Hatfields Beach, then on to Ōrewa. There is also a historic pub and store in the small village.
