Mōrere Hot Springs will likely be closed for weeks after an issue at the spring’s hot water collection point was discovered. It comes only three months after the site reopened following closures that lasted two years. Photo / Supplied
Mōrere Hot Springs will likely be closed for weeks after an issue at the spring’s hot water collection point was discovered. It comes only three months after the site reopened following closures that lasted two years. Photo / Supplied
The popular Mōrere Hot Springs between Wairoa and Gisborne has again been forced into a weeks-long closure, only a few months after reopening.
Mōrere Hot Springs, or Nga Hua o Mōrere, closed for critical maintenance on March 20.
Matt Tong, Department of Conservation (DoC) operations manager for Tairāwhiti, confirmed onFriday the springs remained closed and DoC did not have an exact date for reopening.
Tong said the most recent issue involved the spring’s hot water collection point.
“We discovered an issue at the springs’ hot water collection point, likely due to a shift in the nearby creek path and heavy water flows in recent bad weather,” Tong said.
“Engineers and contractors are currently working on site to remedy the infrastructure fault and reconnect the hot water supply.”
At the time, a Mōrere Hot Springs Facebook post said the old infrastructure dated back almost 40 years and had been infrequently maintained. DoC took on site management in 2019.