Traditional Ownership
The Arawa people, who initially established themselves in the Bay of Plenty, moved into the Waikato region and settled the area including Te Aroha.
The naming of Mount Te Aroha is said to have originated from Kahumata Mamoe, the son of an Arawa Chief, who was lost in the wetlands of the Waihou Valley. Te Mamoe climbed to the top of the mountain, and from the summit he was able to identify his home at Maketu. He then declared that the mountain would be called ‘The Love of Kahumata Mamoe’.
Between 1600 and 1650 the Tainui people moved into the Waikato region, but the Arawa people were allowed to keep their land in Te Aroha under the protection of the Marutuahu. The Marutuahu people left the area in 1815 as a result of a raid by Ngapuhi, but a remnant of Te Aroha people remained, taking refuge on the mountain and in the extensive swampland.
Early Māori already knew of the healing properties of the Te Aroha hot springs. They became an even more vital resource during the Waikato land wars, when wounded Māori would retreat to the springs.
The Crown was concerned that the Te Aroha lands should be legally defined, and in 1869 the Te Aroha land went before the Native Land Court at Thames. In 1871 the court decision awarded the land to the Marutuahu Confederation, which included Ngāti-Tamatera. In 1877 a letter appeared in the Thames Advertiser stating Ngāti Tumutumu of Te Aroha were the original owners of the land and that the best claims to the land were those of Ngāti Maru and the Ngāti Tumutumu. A petition was presented to Parliament in August 1877 by Reha Aperahama and 47 others to assert those claims.
Land Court negotiations continued and in August 1878 the balance of the payment due on the Te Aroha block of ₤3,000 was paid to Ngāti Tumutumu, and the land known today as the Te Aroha Hot Springs Reserve was made a public reserve under the Public Domains Act on December 1882. The consent of local Māori and in particular the Morgan family to Government plans for the establishment of such a reserve was of critical importance and it was through their generosity in giving up the land that the Domain became what it is today.
Te Aroha Goldfield
After the opening of the Thames Goldfield in 1867, Thames became a booming gold mining town with a population of between 15,000 and 20,000. Visitors from Thames travelled up the Waihou (or "River Thames") using the area for recreation: duck shooting, picnicking, and visiting the hot springs at Te Aroha.
The discovery of gold-bearing quartz on Bald Spur at Te Aroha in 1880 occurred at a time when the Thames Goldfield was beginning to show a decline. Mrs. Vicesimus Lush, wife of the first Vicar of Thames, recorded in her diary on November 4, 1880: "The people here are going crazy about a new gold field near Thames, called Te Aroha. I don't know yet if it will turn out any gold worth the labour, but the mere name of gold causes the greatest excitement.
According to This is Te Aroha, the township was "suddenly invaded from all parts." A temporary camp named Fraterville was established, and smaller camps were set up on the flat below Morgantown between O'Halloran's Hotel and the old river landing. On the day the field was declared open, 25 November 1880, the Te Aroha Miner and Thames Valley Agriculturalist, Te Aroha's earliest newspaper, reported: "7.30 a.m. The scene before me as I write, is one I shall never forget. The plain resembles a large camp, the tents assuming a dazzling whiteness in the early morning sun. Little wreathes of smoke show some are preparing their meal. Everyone appears to be in an excellent humour, and as far as I can see, all traces of yesterday's discord have gone. The supreme moment has arrived and people have no room for minor grievances. "
Harry Kenrick Warden of the Hauraki district who was also appointed first warden for Te Aroha, carried out the formal opening of the field on this date. Kenrick had experience in prospecting on the Australian fields where he was present at the Eureka stockade affair. The Mines Record noted that the goldfield opening was marked, after Kenrick's declaration, by Mokena Hou's firing of a gun when all prospectors entered the field and marked out their claims. Reports vary on the number of people who staked claims, although the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography states, "20 natives and 850 Europeans took out licences".
The field did not turn out to be very successful and by the end of the first year many prospectors had started to leave the field. During the winter of 1881 Wherahiko was prospecting the Waiorongomai Valley, and it was there he discovered gold in November. This claim, ‘New Find’, was the first of a number of claims in this area that lead to the establishment of Waiorongomai Township. It is probably at this time that mining in Te Aroha went into decline and emphasis turned to the development of the hot springs.
There is clear evidence of gold mining activity within what is now the Domain area. This includes mine shafts, tracks and evidence of building sites associated with the mining. Even after the initial rush, mining was a significant activity in the township and Domain. The Warden’s Court in Rewi Street, which still exists, would have dealt with mining licences for the Waiorongomai field. The Mines Department was involved in design and construction of the Cadman Bath House, and mining technology was used in the construction of the shaft and tunnel associated with No. 18 and 19 springs.
Development of Hot Springs Domain & Spa
The possibility of a sanatorium being developed at Te Aroha had been envisaged as early as the 1870s. In 1878 George Lipsey built the first Hot Springs Hotel for his father-in-law, Mokena Hou. The Thames Advertiser wrote: 'The hotel if well conducted will be a great boon for persons seeking these springs for their health giving properties. "
During the 1870s regular excursions were conducted from Thames to Te Aroha by boat so that visitors could take advantage of the hot springs. By 1879 the Thames Advertiser reported that there were three good hostelries at Te Aroha: the Hot Springs Hotel kept by Mokena, the Waitoa Hotel at the landing place kept by George S O'Halloran, and the Te Aroha Hotel kept by Mr Missen.
In February 1880 a regular boat service with the Mem Sahib was begun between Paeroa and Te Aroha while the Vivid ran between Thames and Paeroa, and in November that year a coach service was established between Hamilton and Te Aroha. The construction of the first permanent Bath Houses began in 1883. By this time the hot springs were becoming well known as a tourist resort. The railway from Hamilton to Te Aroha was opened in March 1886 completing the link from Auckland and greatly increasing its accessibility and popularity for visitors.
Heyday of the Spa
The town of Te Aroha was developing rapidly at this time and it was visitors to the hot pools that were bringing prosperity to be town rather than the profits of local gold mining. In May 1885 the Thames Advertiser reported: "Footpaths are being made, stores receiving fresh coats of paint and the travelling public are being provided for by increased accommodation by the boarding house keepers, and miraculous cures are still being affected amongst the many invalids who are using the bath."
In August 1885 the initial landscape development began including manicured lawns, provision for lawn suitable for croquet, tennis and racket courts, and tree planting. Further springs were being opened and the paths were beginning to be constructed linking the new features.
Apart from the pleasures and benefits of the hot springs and the Domain itself, visitors enjoyed visits to the mines, to the Waiorongomai battery, walks to the top of Mount Te Aroha and trips up the river to picnic spots.
By now there were three large hotels, The Palace, the Te Aroha and the Hot Springs and two boarding houses, altogether providing accommodation for 500 visitors. In the year ended 31 March 1887, 28,553 baths were taken at Te Aroha. By way of comparison, Rotorua had 4,878 taken over the same period. The spa was to help protect Te Aroha from the effects of the long depression of the late 1880s and early 1890s. By the 1890s Te Aroha had become the most popular Spa in the country.
In 1889 the railway link from Thames to Te Aroha was completed giving visitors from Auckland two travel options to the spa: by rail through Hamilton, or by boat from Auckland to Thames and from there by rail.
On Queen Victoria’s birthday, 24 May 1898 Hon. A J Cadman, Minister for Railways and Mines, opened the Cadman Bath House. The building measured 30m long by 8.5m wide with private baths and a central corridor 2.4m wide. A new band rotunda was also erected.
By the turn of the century 22 springs had been discovered in The Domain, 15 of which were hot.
However, by 1901 a general opinion prevailed that it would be in the interests of the District if the Hot Springs Domain reverted to direct Government control with management passing into the control of the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts. On 7th January 1903 by Order in Council the Government resumed control vesting the reserve in the Minister in Charge of Tourist and Health Resorts under the provisions of the Public Domains Act of 1881.
After the Domain came under the control of the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts in 1903 the administration building (now the Information Kiosk) was enlarged to provide consulting and waiting rooms and Dr George G Kenny was transferred from Rotorua as Resident Medical Officer. In addition to his official duties, which included supervision of the whole of The Domain, he was also to act as the medical practitioner for Te Aroha, there being no other doctor in town.
The science of baleanology and the importance of the hot pools for their curative purposes filled an important role at the Te Aroha spa. Reporting for the year 1905 to 1906 Dr Kenny notes the great increase in public rather than private bathing. He attributes this switch to some very large public excursions from the goldfield townships, the large majority of who preferred a warm plunge rather than a private bath, "in other words they bathed for pleasure, rather than for the relief of ailments." He thought that the opening of the Waihi Railway had also helped to bring about the change, as; "the industrial classes have largely availed themselves of the cheaper and more convenient traveling facilities, and have patronised the less expensive baths."
The Te Aroha spa continued to be as important for curative purposes as it was for recreation and enjoyment throughout the first half of the twentieth century. In 1906 massage rooms were fitted up and an operator installed, and in 1929 a new massage room was built onto the rear of the Cadman Bath House and updated X-ray equipment was installed. As late as 1950 a qualified physiotherapist was practising, providing massage and special treatments and provided 4,000 treatments in the year 1949-50.
Despite the fact that Rotorua, which was now linked into the North Island rail network, had eclipsed Te Aroha in terms of visitor numbers, the popularity of the Domain grew throughout the first decade of the nineteenth century. In January 1903 a new bowling green was opened that proved very popular and was considered one of the best in the country. The same year a grass tennis court and a croquet lawn were opened and Domain staff was increased from two bath attendants to four, and with the appointment of head gardener. In 1905 the cold swimming bath was repaired and reopened and a Bath House provided.
The Te Aroha Municipal Band provided regular open-air concerts during the season, with Japanese lanterns hanging from trees lighting the Domain. Facilities continued to be improved with the gardener's cottage built in 1906, electric light installed in 1906 and the Tea Kiosk opened in December 1908.
Te Aroha was an important sporting centre as well. Two new asphalt tennis courts were provided in 1908. Bowling tournaments were often held in the Domain with teams coming from the top half of the North Island. The township complemented the Domain with a variety of licensed hotels and private hotels. At the peak of its popularity there were five hotels and eight boarding houses.
The Domain was a popular picnic spot and school parties regularly came on special excursion trains. There were walks along the river to the waterfall behind the Domain, to the glow-worms in an old mining tunnel behind the Domain, to Bald-Spur and to a defensive pa south of the waterfall. Te Aroha was an especially popular destination for day-trippers on public holidays. On New Years Day 1912, 7,000 visitors arrived in Te Aroha for the day. Many of these arrived on special excursion trains from Auckland, which took five hours each way.
Changing Popularity
The Te Aroha Municipal Band provided regular open-air concerts during the season, with Japanese lanterns hanging from trees lighting the Domain. Facilities continued to be improved with the gardener's cottage built in 1906, electric light installed in 1906 and the Tea Kiosk opened in December 1908.
Te Aroha was an important sporting centre as well. Two new asphalt tennis courts were provided in 1908. Croquet and Bowling tournaments were often held in the Domain with teams coming from the top half of the North Island. The township complemented the Domain with a variety of licensed hotels and private hotels. At the peak of its popularity there were five hotels and eight boarding houses.
Changing Popularity
The decline in popularity of the Domain was gradual. With the construction of a new railway, Rotorua soon took over from Te Aroha as the pre-eminent Spa. Advances in medical science saw a discrediting and loss of faith in ‘scientific baleanology’, and changing fashions saw the concept of the fashionable spa fall out of favour. People still continued to use the baths, with more emphasis on casual enjoyment than the more formal ‘taking of the waters’. The Tea Kiosk closed in 1923 because it was losing money. In 1928 a new tepid swimming bath was opened when mixed bathing was introduced, but the No. 4 and No. 6 Bath Houses were closed around the same time.
Troops stationed near Te Aroha during the Second World War saw a brief revival in the fortunes of the pools, but the long-term decline continued.
In 1953 the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts offered the Domain to the Te Aroha Borough Council as a gift together with a subsidy for a period of years, but the offer was declined. The decline in use of the Domain facilities provided opportunity for new functions to operate. The skating rink was built over the old asphalt tennis court in 1956. The Museum took over the Cadman Bath House after the Bowling Club occupied it. The gardener's cottage, now a cafe, was then used by the Department of Conservation (DOC) as their office and Information Centre. However, the Croquet Club continued in popularity with the arrival of their own Club House in 1950 which is still home to the Te Aroha Croquet Club today.
In recent years, however, there has been a quiet renaissance - tourism in Te Aroha has been increasing significantly. The Mokena Pools (now Te Aroha Mineral Spas) were opened in 1980 providing modern spa pools using the thermal soda water. The Wyborn Pools (now Te Aroha Leisure Pools) were opened in April 1999, providing a new outdoor swimming and soaking pool, and in July 1997 the historic No.2 Bath House was restored as a heritage bathing pool. The No.7 Bath House has also been refurbished. Development of mountain bike tracks behind the Domain added new activities and visitors to the Domain. The Domain House was operated as a restaurant over recent years, although it struggled and eventually closed for a number of years.
The Croquet Club is the only sporting club which remains to this day, since officially 1919, leasing and maintaining now 5 lawns in front of the Cadman Building. Using the lawns at least 3 days per week and all year round thanks to the superb drainage work done by Army Engineers & Soldiers who returned from WW1. Like yesteryear – Visitors are welcome to play “Golf Croquet” casually. This resilient sport has also changed to keep up with the times.
Despite these developments the Domain has still not recaptured the level of activity and significance it held during its heyday as a Spa. It is regarded as a ‘forgotten gem’ or as a “sleeping giant”.