By Turner Wright

As one of the great adventure capitals of the world, New Zealand boasts an impressive array of activities for travellers: bungy jumping in Queenstown, skydiving in Taupo, Zorbing in Rotorua. Not to mention a full assortment of hot springs in which to ease those weary bones after a long day on the road.

To many travellers familiar with hot springs around the world, most of New Zealand's should come as a pleasant surprise, especially those located on the South Island. The main problem with the hot springs on the North Island is determining which pools are "authentic". In Rotorua, a town practically full to the brim with hot water - and smelling strongly of sulphur - nearly every motel and motor inn advertises their features: Sky TV, high speed internet, and hot pools. Catch the scam? Of course not. You would think by spending the evening in an establishment in the heart of a hot spring village you would be entitled to soak in real hot spring water (as opposed to heated tap water). Unfortunately, the sign you should have been seeking was "mineral pools", not hot pools; the terminology varies by location.

I suppose there are certain slang terms and ways of deceiving cash customers in any country... hot pools, hot springs, mineral pools... you can't go wrong with the name waiariki; the original Maori term, meaning "chiefly waters", which commonly refers to outdoor pools in the countryside, as opposed to some of the more family friendly resorts like Miranda - they may claim to have the largest hot pool in the southern hemisphere, but that doesn't change the fact it's nothing more than a glorified water park, designed to entertain kids rather than cater to those seeking to enjoy a quiet soak as the sun slowly sets.

These are the most chiefly waters I know on New Zealand's North Island.

1) Ngawha Springs, Northland

Ngawha (pronounced "nafa") is the sole source of mineral pools in Northland. Well off the beaten path and not mentioned in Lonely Planet, these waiariki pools vary in temperature and mineral content. If you feel like getting scalded or have skin as tough as the first Maori to take a soak, check out the Bull Dog bath at 45 degrees C. Want to ease into the hotter ones first? Soloman is a favourite of mine at 36 degrees, and I also enjoyed the rich milky baths on the other side of the complex to cool off. Best of all, these waters are in wooden tubs crafted from native wood, set in an area so remote it's unlikely to ever be full to the brim with tourists or families. Word of warning: don't plan to keep whatever bathing suit you choose to wear; the minerals will stain almost any material a nice off-colour puke, and leave it smelling like delicious sulphur. Hold off on showering after you visit; although the smell may not be best suited to help you pick up members of the opposite sex, the minerals will continue revitalizing your skin as long as it remains.

2) Hot Water Beaches

Being buried in hot sand is a little unnerving to many first timers; often the first question I hear is: "Can I get out from underneath if there's a problem?" No worries; you're in New Zealand, and you only have to dig a hole, not bury yourself inside it. Sand baths like these exist the world over, from Ibusuki, Japan, to Deception Island, Antarctica. When you're on the North Island, there are two such places I would recommend:

Hot Water Beach, Coromandel Peninsula
Go hire a shovel from the nearby Hot Water Beach shop and dig yourself a nice little spot of paradise on this sandy beach. It's a delicate balance determining exactly when to soak, but generally, two hours before and after the low tide is safe. Just be sure not to cool yourself off in the ocean if you're feeling particularly sweaty; this beach, along with several others in the area, has particularly dangerous rips and undertows.

Te Puia Hot Spings, Kawhia
If you're looking for a hot water beach well beyond the reaches of Auckland and most tourists' tracks, head south of the surfing city of Raglan and keep going until you hit hot black sand. The beaches of Kawhia give off a pleasant, but not overwhelming, smell of sulphur. Only this time, plan to bring a shovel from home.

3) Rotorua

Rotorua is essentially one big hot pool. You don't even have to travel outside the city limits to find some decent places to soak, but if you do feel like a short drive, the Wai Ora Spa in Tikitere (Hell's Gate) is the way to go; prepare to pay far more than you would at any other hot pool, but the hot mud treatment is worth the weight off your wallet. Closer to downtown, the Polynesian Spa is probably the classier route, with private pools and a great view of Lake Rotorua, but don't shy away from the Blue Baths, either; the main pool is little more than lukewarm even on the hottest summer day, but the adjacent baths seem to be fed directly from the spring. Next to Ngawha, the hottest I have yet experienced in a waiariki.

In my humble opinion, however, the city's main attraction is the smallest of all. As you ride the bus in from Auckland, the smell of sulphur seeps in from Kuirau Park, the site on which you should focus your photography efforts: boiling mud pools, steaming hot springs, and children playing nearby. Best of all, this park is home to something I had not expected to see outside of the island of Kyushu in Japan: foot baths. Take it from me, my friends, there is nothing sweeter in life than going for a barefoot run in this park just as the sun is beginning to rise, letting your toes freeze in the morning dew, and then taking a break in one of the few foot baths to warm yourself. "Sweet as", as the Kiwis would say.

4) Taupo Plateau

I can only offer you one bit of advice when it comes to soaking in Taupo: get out of town. The Taupo region has some of the best hot pools on both the North and South Island, but the pickings are slim in urban areas. If you're headed north-east, you must relax in Kerosene Creek's jacuzzi pool or the aptly-named 'Paradise' to the east of Lake Ohakuri. In addition, there are many natural springs on private property; it's best to call the owners ahead of time if you're planning a trip (see www.nzhotpools.co.nz for details).

If you have only a short stay in New Zealand and hot springs are your goal, focus all your efforts on Taupo and its surroundings. Want to throw some of that famous New Zealand adrenaline into the mix? Jump out of a perfectly good aeroplane before you hit the baths.

5) At the End of a Great Walk

"In the middle of the journey of my life, I found myself astray in a dark wood, where the straight road had been lost." How unfortunate Dante chose to hike into Hell rather than the Lake Waikaremoana Track, one of New Zealand's nine 'Great Walks'. He could have found a pool full of soothing water waiting for him rather than an ominous gateway.

Maungataniwha Hot Springs is in fact a little off the Lake Waikaremoana Track, but well within the boundaries of Te Urewera National Park, the largest on the North Island. The best route would probably be to stop at the Parahaki Hut overnight then make your way over to the springs: hot water rolling down a rock face. You'll probably have to dig a small pool to enjoy a soak, but won't all that effort be worth it after a "mere" seven hours' hiking? Definitely. For detailed directions, check out Sally Jackson's "Hot Springs of New Zealand" or Lonely Planet's "Tramping in New Zealand".

Photo Credits: New Zealand Hot Springs by jjay69; "Enjoying a hot bath!" by magical-world; "Rotorua, Te Whakarewarewa" by vtveen; "Taupo Hot Springs" by xoque.

By Turner Wright

"Do you have hot springs in your country?"

We talked in the bath, the Japanese and I. Rambled on about the differences in our cultures, debated which onsen (hot springs) were the best in the land, and tried to trick each other into moving into the current of the tenki furo (electric bath), to thunderous laughter. But more often than not, both in my neighbourhood bathhouse and across the country, my hosts were curious at to whether Americans enjoyed the benefits of a daily soak.

I didn't really have a good answer for them; with the exception of Palm Springs and what I assumed were a smattering of geothermal springs in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada mountains, I had no idea of what calming waters I could have missed in my own home town. Are hot springs even possible in the middle of the United States, where volcanoes are few and far between, and unlikely to produce anything remotely similar to what one sees in Japan?

In Japan, most of the springs are fuelled by underground water sources coming into close proximity to magma or volcanic "veins" of heat rising to the surface. As these types of hot springs are usually superheated, many have to be regulated so as not to scald the bather.

Given the number of volcanoes in the land of the rising sun, it should come as no surprise that hot spring culture has played a major role in Japanese society: relaxing at an onsen resort in the country is a favourite romantic getaway; super sento (large "amusement park" scale bathhouses) provide a means for families to spend time together while both exercising and staying clean (take that, American nuclear family!); if you are a guest in a Japanese home, you may be asked to bathe before dinner.

More than a means to stay fresh and clean, the sanctity of the bath is of utmost importance. In Japan you bathe first, removing all the dirt and soap from your body, then enter the pure waters of the bath to blissfully while away the time. In Beppu on the island of Kyushu, there is so much hot water beneath the earth's surface that it appears as though small fires are constantly burning on the streets, steam releasing some pressure and providing some very picturesque scenes. In northern Honshu, near Nagano, snow monkeys are clever enough to go in for a soak themselves, as Japanese tourists snap some truly original photographs.

Although some springs in the United States are heated in a similar manner, others are the result of geothermal energy: the deeper you go towards the centre of the Earth, the higher the temperature of the rocks. Hot springs powered in this manner need to reach a sufficient depth in the planet's crust to achieve any significant temperatures (enough for soothing baths, anyway).

My search led me straightaway to west Texas, more specifically a resort not far from the Mexican border: Chinati Hot Springs.

Legends of the regenerative powers of the waters of Chinati trace their origins back to the Native American Apache and Comanche tribes who once had free reign over the great state of Texas. The superstitions surrounding such a burial ground remain in full effect, the current owners always mindful of the direction their karma takes them... "Whoever closes the spring for the use of anyone else will die before his time," warning those who would attempt to restrict access to what nature has provided freely and without prejudice.

Slowly filling the tubs at a steady 109 degrees, these springs offer the same kind of therapeutic effects one would see from any volcanic source: scar regeneration, joint health, overall wellness, a rejuvenation of the spirit.

And unlike in Japan, where one may soak as rain gently disturbs the surface of the outdoor baths, in Chinati, light hail provides just the right effect to appreciate the heated waters underneath the starry night.

If you want privacy and a place to watch Orion dance above a desert oasis without the noise of cell phones and car wheels, Chinati is the place for you. The biggest problems you'll face are runaway burros and all-too-friendly bloodhounds.

In nearby Big Bend National Park, an outdoor hot spring pool lies on the border to Mexico: the Rio Grande Village.

Mere walking (or swimming) distance from the closest Mexican village, the springs are remote, even by Big Bend standards. Your journey will take you slowly backwards in time, as you depart the black asphalt of the late 20th century, amble past trading posts and a post office build nearly one hundred years ago, and catch sight of Native American pictographs and petroglyphs along a sheered rock face pre-dates them all.

A little farther down the sandy path you'll come across the ruins of what was once the bathhouse, now a mere foundation used to prevent the healing water from flowing directly into the river. I must admit I was sceptical... but fear not, these springs are comparable to any seaside onsen in Japan.

The hot springs at Rio Grande Village is recommended for its remote location, soothing waters, and communion with nature. Take a soak in the shadow of Native American culture and melt your troubles away in the Texas sun. Everything is bigger, better, and apparently even more relaxing in Texas.

"Yes, we do have hot springs in America. Let me tell you..."

How are the hot springs where you come from? Iceland, Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Taiwan... Antarctica?