A woman relaxes in a wooden sauna, gazing out a large window at lush green forest foliage.

The Wellness Grounds

RIVER RHYTHMS

Tucked among the trees beside the Waikato River, Huka’s wellness grounds take their cue from Aotearoa, with treatments rooted in local traditions and shaped by the surrounding landscape.

The Huka spa welcomes in-house guests for treatments within the wellness grounds. Advance bookings are recommended and subject to availability.

Inquire

Sunlight flares through blurred green foliage, creating bokeh effects.

The spa takes its design cues from the Kiwi bach, with timber huts tucked among the trees beside the Waikato River.

Verité skincare is handcrafted in small batches in Aotearoa with botanicals including papaya, rose, blue tansy, and kiwifruit seed.

The Pounamu Power ritual begins with heated New Zealand greenstone, followed by a facial using traditional gua sha techniques.

The Manuka Mawhiti ritual pairs mānuka honey and kawakawa balm with an oatmeal-and-citrus exfoliation, massage, and facial.

Person relaxing in a spa surrounded by lush ferns and forest scenery at Huka Lodge.

IN THE ELEMENTS

Restored by the River

Clear turquoise waters of the Waikato River flowing past lush green trees near Huka Lodge in Taupo

Just beyond the trees, the Waikato rushes past Huka Lodge, bringing the sound of moving water and cool river air into the wellness grounds.

YOUR OWN RHYTHM

A Personal Hīkoi

At Huka, well-being is a personal hīkoi, or journey, with each treatment shaped around what your body needs and how you want to spend the time.

FROM THE LAND

Rooted in Aotearoa

A therapist gives a relaxing back massage to a client lying face down on a massage table, with a hot stone on the table nearby.

Native botanicals, warm greenstone, mineral-rich thermal mud, and locally made Verité skincare bring the ingredients and traditions of Aotearoa into each treatment.

HOT AND COLD

The Power of Contrast

Wooden buckets hang near a circular outdoor plunge pool surrounded by lush green foliage.

Move from the deep warmth of the hot pool to an icy contrast shower, where the sudden change in temperature is part of the ritual.

Huka Spa Two treatment rooms tucked among the trees create a quiet, private setting for Huka’s Aotearoa-inspired rituals.
Sauna Warm timber surrounds you as dry heat fills the intimate space, with a window framing the leafy landscape just outside.
Ice Contrast Shower Step from the sauna into a bracing rush of water, where the sudden temperature shift wakes up the senses from head to toe.
Outdoor Hot Pools Float beneath the open sky, with gardens at the water’s edge and the leafy banks of the Waikato just beyond.
Gym & Yoga Lawn Move with views through the trees, or step outside onto the grass, where birdsong mingles with the rush of the Waikato.
Spa Thermal Walk Follow the Waikato River through Taupō’s geothermal landscape on foot, with Huka Falls waiting farther along the trail.

The People Who Shape Your Stay

Kerry Molloy General Manager | Huka Lodge

Kerry has spent more than a decade quietly orchestrating life at Huka, anticipating what guests need before they ask and preserving the effortless hospitality that keeps generations returning.

View Bio

The People Who Shape Your Stay

Clare Walker Assistant General Manager | Huka Lodge

After nearly nine years at Huka, Clare knows no two days unfold the same way, happily stepping in wherever she’s needed to help turn the moving pieces of lodge life into a memorable stay.

View Bio

The People Who Shape Your Stay

Perrin Yates Executive Chef | Huka Lodge

Perrin lets New Zealand set the menu, building relationships with local growers, fishers, farmers, and makers to create food that connects what’s on the plate to the place and people behind it.

View Bio

The People Who Shape Your Stay

Gloria Blackmore Housekeeper | Huka Lodge

Gloria has spent more than 37 years learning every detail of Huka Lodge, becoming its living encyclopedia and the trusted hand behind countless touches that make the lodge feel like home.

View Bio

Kerry Molloy, General Manager at Huka Lodge

Clare Walker, Assistant General Manager at Huka Lodge

Perrin Yates, Executive Chef at Huka Lodge

An Itinerary to Inspire

Follow the Water
Huka Lodge

Duration 4 nights
Start Where Huka Began

Spend your first afternoon on the lawn beside the Waikato River, learning to cast where anglers have come for nearly a century. Stay awhile afterward. The river is reason enough not to rush inside.

CAST A LINE
CAST A LINE
Wake Up Slowly

On your first morning, notice the dew still clinging to the leaves and the early light moving through the gardens. Take your coffee outside, listen to the river, and enjoy a few quiet hours with nowhere else to be.

SAVOR THE SILENCE
SAVOR THE SILENCE
See Taupō From Above

On your second day, trade the water for the sky. After a morning cruising Lake Taupō, lift off for views of geothermal terraces, volcanic landscapes, Māori rock carvings, and Huka Falls before touching down on the lawn at the lodge.

TAKE TO THE SKY
TAKE TO THE SKY
By the numbers

Height of the Mine Bay Māori rock carvings in meters 14

Acres of parkland surrounding Huka Lodge 17

Water rushing over Huka Falls every second 220,000 liters

Years since Lake Taupō’s last major eruption 1,800+
Give the Afternoon to Huka

By day three, keep an afternoon for nowhere but the lodge. Swim beneath the hedges, wander the gardens, play croquet on the lawn, or find a chair beneath the willows and watch the Waikato River roll past.

EXPLORE THE LODGE
EXPLORE THE LODGE
Linger Over Dinner

As evening settles over the river, start with drinks and canapés before taking your seat for dinner. Menus change with the seasons, bringing New Zealand lamb, seafood, native ingredients, and local produce to the table alongside exceptional wines.

COME TO THE TABLE
COME TO THE TABLE
Paddle the Waikato

On your final full day, see the river from a different angle. Paddle through pumice gorges and clear water, keeping an eye out for trout below before stopping for a soak in natural hot springs along the way.

GET ON THE WATER
GET ON THE WATER