Aerial view of water texture and pattern at Waiwera beach, North of Auckland, New Zealand

Hot springs, cool seas

The name of this place, Waiwera, is a Māori word for ‘hot water,’ even though we’re looking down at the chilly South Pacific. The small coastal town is so titled for its thermal springs, and was once a busy vacation spot featuring numerous waterslides built around 25 steamy soaking pools. Formerly New Zealand’s largest water park, Waiwera Hot Pools bustled in its heyday, but was shuttered in 2018 and bulldozed in 2023. The namesake springs still bubble away, though, just a couple minutes’ walk from the jade-tinted ocean – a natural waterpark that’s never closed.