Beyond being home to world-class wineries and top-tier ski slopes, Aotearoa New Zealand's reputation for being a prime onsen destination is one that is well-earned. With more than 100 hot pools – naturally formed and heated thanks to the country's position over two tectonic plates – locals have sworn by the thermal springs' soothing properties for centuries. If relaxation is on the agenda for your next escape, an experience of the geothermal variety might just be in order. Here's our guide to the best hot springs in New Zealand.

Image credit: Onsen Hot Pools, Queenstown

Onsen Hot Pools, Queenstown

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If you’ve flung your body off or down mountains doing any of Queenstown’s famous adventure activities, a day at this tranquil upscale spa should loosen things up. Sink into one of the private or shared cliffside cedar-lined hot tubs and let the wide views of the Shotover River ease you into a state of pure relaxation.

Image credit: Destination Coromandel

Hot Water Beach, The Coromandel

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Can’t find a geothermal pool to suit your needs? Then consider digging one. Around low tide, steamy mineral pools begin bubbling to the surface of this otherwise unassuming stretch of sand and those in the know grab their shovels (you can hire them locally) and begin digging their own little private pools to luxuriate in.

Tekapo Springs, Lake Tekapo

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There are few things more grounding than the sense that you’re nothing more than a speck in an infinite universe – a sensation that comes as part of the package when you book a stargazing and hot-pool experience at Tekapo Springs. Lie back in an aqua hammock with your feet grazing the 37.5°C mineral waters as your guide unlocks the secrets of the galaxy above.

Why book a day spa when Earth does it better? Plan your escape now at qantas.com.

Polynesian Spa, Rotorua

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If you’re after a spa smorgasbord, this is the pick. There are 28 hot and cool pools to try; some lean acidic (said to be good for aching muscles), while others are alkaline (supposed to nourish the skin). You can also book private pools. For even more pampering, add on a facial or mud wrap at the day spa.

Image credit: Alamy

Maruia Hot Springs, West Coast

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The beauty of this off-grid thermal resort is that you can extend your experience and stay on site in simple but elegant hotel rooms, curved and corrugated glamping pods or by camping in the purity of the outdoors. The mineral pools are entirely natural and cooled from a steamy 56°C to perfect bathing temperature.

Image credit: Hot Tubs Ōmārama

Hot Tubs Ōmārama, Ōmārama

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The only things sharing your space at these blissfully secluded outdoor hot tubs – each accommodating up to eight people – are the birdlife, weather and wide mountain views. You can even book a session at night to bathe beneath the stars.

Immerse yourself in New Zealand’s natural hot pools, from starlit soaks to wellness amid the snow-capped Southern Alps. Start planning now at qantas.com.

Image credit: Felicity Witters

Wairakei Terraces, Taupō

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The glacial-blue waters of this thermal health spa are rich with silica, sodium and potassium and have been long-prized by Māori – who settled in this region 1000 years ago – for their healing properties. For a full-service rejuvenation experience, add a luxury hot stone massage.

Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa, Hanmer Springs

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There’s a water experience for every age group at Hanmer Springs: activity pools and slides for the kids and healing sulphuric pools and greenery-fringed rock pools for adult relaxation. Couples can disappear entirely from the crowds at one of six private wood-walled pools with garden views.

Image credit: Ben Assado

Kaitoke Hot Springs, Great Barrier Island

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Don’t expect restaurants or changing rooms at this natural hot pool: it’s as rocky, leafy and muddy as nature intended. Great Barrier Island, 90 kilometres from Auckland, can be reached by plane, helicopter or ferry. And the pools, which vary in temperature depending on where you’ve dipped your toes, sit at the end of a picturesque walking track framed by tree ferns.

Clifftop cedar tubs, lakeside sanctuaries, forest-fringed pools – this is R’n’R, Aotearoa-style. Find flights at qantas.com.

Hell’s Gate geothermal reserve and mud spa, Rotorua

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Māori believe this frothing, restless landscape is the domain of the volcano god Rūaumoko, whose power churns beneath the Earth’s crust. At the surface, he’s given lucky humans access to healing volcanic mud that can be slathered onto the body to draw out impurities – found at New Zealand’s only geothermal mud resort. Follow it with a soak in a rich mineral pool and you’ve just experienced nature’s day spa.

Image credit: Miles Holden