Grand Hotel, Te Aroha

Te Aroha is a delightful small town. The heritage buildings date back to the discovery of gold in 1880 and when the gold ran out, it was developed as a spa town. By 1886, there were seven bath houses - initially Te Aroha attracted more visitors than Rotorua or Hamner Springs.

But like the gold, visitor numbers dwindled as Rotorua took over as the main spa town. What remains today is a small quiet town with a good number of beautiful old buildings.

One of these is the Grand Hotel, built in 1880, when gold was discovered in the Wairongomai Valley. Although the gold soon ran out, the hotel survived due to it's location near the hot springs. Today it is well worth a lunch stop, the food was excellent value. Visit date: 22 August 2015