Secret Spot Hot Tubs

Secret Spot Hot Tubs gives your group its own cedar hot tub at the edge of the Whakarewarewa Forest for 45 minutes, from $26 per person on Viator. The tubs hold fresh spring water heated to just under 40°C, with no geothermal minerals in it. Come here for a private soak among the trees with a drink in your hand. For mineral water from Rotorua’s geothermal field, the lakefront spas are the place to go.

What the water is, and why it matters

Most of Rotorua’s bathing happens in geothermal water piped from springs, such as the Rachel Spring water that has fed the Polynesian Spa since 1902. Secret Spot works differently. The operator fills its private cedar tubs with fresh spring water and heats it, so the soak is a hot tub in a forest setting, warm and quiet, with the trees and the stream as the view.

It also means Secret Spot cannot stand in for a hot spring visit. If geothermal water is the reason you came to Rotorua, pair the tub with an evening at the Polynesian Spa or a session at Wai Ariki, both on the lakefront. Our natural hot springs guide ranks every geothermal soak in and around Rotorua, and our page on Rotorua thermal spas and mineral pools sets the spas’ spring water against Secret Spot’s fresh water.

What you get for 45 minutes

The Rotorua Forest Hot Tub Soak at Secret Spot covers one 45-minute soak in a private tub. There are 12 western red cedar tubs along the edge of the forest, looking over the Puarenga Stream, and each one takes up to six people. The ticket includes:

• your own cedar tub for the full 45 minutes
• the cold plunge tubs, which you can use between soaks
• a secure locker, drinking water and car parking
• a push-button service at the tub that brings drinks from the bar

Towels, swimwear and robes are not included, but you can hire them at reception: NZ$5 for a towel, NZ$5 for swimwear and NZ$10 for a robe. Food and drinks are paid for separately; you can order from the tub with the call button or a QR code. After the soak, you can put your feet in a Shinny Dip foot tub on the way out, free with any purchase and subject to space.

The tubs are private in the sense that nobody else shares your water. Plants screen each one, but the operator says neighbouring tubs sit about 8 metres apart and you can see them. Think of it as a private tub in a shared garden. Read our review for the guest feedback in detail.

Which Secret Spot ticket to book

The forest hot tub soak on Viator and the GetYourGuide listing are the same product, so book on whichever platform you already use. The operator’s own gate price is NZ$46 for an adult and NZ$18 for a child, in New Zealand dollars.

The Private Sauna & Cold Plunge at Secret Spot Hot Tubs is a separate ticket. It gives up to four people a 40-minute session in a hinoki wood sauna with heated volcanic rocks, plus 10 minutes to change, cold plunge tubs at about 12°C and a cold outdoor shower. It does not include a hot tub, so book both if you want the full hot and cold round.

What a booking costs for your group

The price is per person, so the cost grows with your group. At the operator’s gate prices of NZ$46 an adult and NZ$18 a child aged 5 to 14, a 45-minute soak works out like this:

These are simple sums with no group discount, and hire items, food and drinks come on top. One tub holds six people at most, children included, so a bigger group books two tubs; call the venue to put them side by side.

Secret Spot has offers for Rotorua locals and SuperGold card holders, and you ask for them by phone on 07 348 4442. If you book direct with Secret Spot, you can reschedule up to 4 hours before your slot, and cancelling needs 12 hours’ notice. Tickets bought on GetYourGuide or Viator follow that platform’s terms, which the FAQ below covers.

Who the tubs suit

Groups and families do well here. One tub takes six, so a family or a group of friends gets the space to itself. Children aged 5 to 14 can soak with a paying adult, though children under 5 are not allowed in the tubs. That makes Secret Spot one of the easier soaks for families with school-age children; our family hot pools guide covers the options for younger ones. A baby or toddler can stay beside the tub in a pram or stroller with an adult watching, and there are family changing rooms. In the sauna, anyone aged 15 or under needs an adult with them.

Couples book it for the evenings. The site is open until 10pm, and on a clear night you look up at the stars above the forest. Our romantic hot springs page puts it beside the other soaks for two.

The listing does not recommend the soak for pregnant travellers or people with poor cardiovascular health. If either applies, check with a doctor before you book.

Wheelchair access and dogs

Reception, the café, the toilets, the main paths and the Shinny Dip foot tubs are wheelchair accessible. The hot tubs, saunas and cold plunges are not: you cross a small swing bridge, climb steps and step over the side of the tub to get in. If anyone in your group has limited mobility, call ahead and talk it through with the staff.

Dogs on a lead are welcome in many outdoor areas, including beside the tubs and near the café, but not in the water or the sauna area.

Getting there and opening hours

Secret Spot sits at the Mountain Bike Car Park, 13/33 Waipa State Mill Road, beside the Whakarewarewa Forest. It is in the Waipa Valley, the heart of Rotorua’s mountain biking, so plenty of guests arrive straight off the trails. Car parking is included in the ticket. Transfers are not, so plan on driving, a taxi or public transport, which the listing says runs nearby.

The tubs are open seven days a week from 9am to 10pm, with the last tub booking at 9pm; the saunas open from 10am. Secret Spot closes from 4pm on Christmas Eve and all of Christmas Day. The soak runs rain or shine, with partial umbrella cover over the tubs, and you need to check in at reception 15 minutes before your slot.

Pick your slot around the rest of the day. A morning soak leaves the afternoon free for sightseeing. In the afternoon, the tubs are a short ride from the Waipa trailheads, but cool down and drink water after a hard ride before you get into water close to 40°C. Evening slots suit couples and book out first at weekends and in the holidays, so reserve those early. If you have no car, sort out your ride home before you book a late slot.

Coming from Auckland without a car? The Rotorua Highlights Tour: Waiotapu, Hot Tubs & Lunch from Auckland pairs Wai-O-Tapu with a Secret Spot soak on a 12-hour day, with lunch and hotel pickup from selected Auckland locations. Read our review, or see every Rotorua hot springs trip from Auckland.

What to bring and what to leave

Bring swimwear and a towel, or hire both at reception. The GetYourGuide listing also asks you to carry a passport or ID card, and a copy is accepted. You cannot bring your own food or alcohol into the tubs. The café and bar sells manuka-roasted coffee, Good George craft beer and cider, Mills Reef wine and food from the BaseCamp Street Food Kitchen, with lawn games and outdoor fires for after the soak. You can visit the café without booking a tub.

For the other private soaks in town, from Wai Ariki’s geothermal bath for two to the private pools at Polynesian Spa, see our private hot pools guide. When you are ready, check availability for a Secret Spot tub.