| Maruia Springs | |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | New Zealand |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | West Coast |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Coordinates: | -42.3792°N 172.3333°W |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [1] |
| Elevation M: | 586 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1923 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postcode |
Maruia Springs is a settlement in the West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located on the south bank of the Maruia River on State Highway 7 to the west of the Lewis Pass.[2]
The settlement is named for the nearby hot springs. While not as commercially exploited as other southern hot water springs (such as those at Hanmer Springs) it is still a popular spot with visitors.[3] Water at 55C, or more, is pumped from springs and from a well to a hotel, Japanese bath house, six private spas and two rock pools.[4] The hot spring is probably fed through the nearby Awatere Fault.[5]
The hot pools at Maruia have been known to Māori people for hundreds of years and used by jade traders as a place to rest and rejuvenate on their gruelling walk over to the West Coast. In the late 1800s, European settlers built rustic huts, and over the next century, this eventually turned into a hotel.