New aerial footage shows all that remains of Waiwera’s formerly bustling hot pool complex is basically the ground it once stood on.
Piles of rubble and scrap are all that occupy the vacant site after months of demolition work to give prospective buyers a blank canvas to develop the site as they see fit.
After decades as a relaxing mecca for day-tripping Aucklanders, the park fell on hard times and has passed through a number of hands over recent years.
It took weeks to dismantle the towering slides that stood at the parks heart.
They have been sold off to a waterpark in Northland, while all that remains of the 26 swimming pools are the springs that fed them.
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The destruction of the iconic resort is nearly complete with not much remaining but the ground it once stood on.
From the air, the destruction is even more evident, with only a brown patch of land and the remnants of the pale blue facade visible from high above.
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After months of demolition work the site is nearly ready for sale.
The 1.73 hectare property, valued at $17.5 million in Auckland Council’s most recent valuation, has sat empty since 2018 when staff were laid off ahead of a supposed 3-month redevelopment.
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The land was most recently valued at $17.5 million.
But then-owner Russian billionaire Mikhail Khimich never followed through on plans for redevelopment, and eventually the property ended up in the hands of liquidators Urban Partners, who are now trying to make it as appealing as they can.
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The complex closed for a proposed renovation in 2018 but never re-opened.
The company said earlier this year they were looking at having it ready for a spring sale.
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The iconic waterslides have been dismantled and sent to Northland.
According to a 2014 Metro Magazine article, Waiwera was bought from Māori for “26 blankets, four spades, one cask of tobacco, four double-barrelled guns, one bag of shot, four cartridge boxes, three casks of powder, five shirts, two cloth caps, one coat and £16 in cash.”
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The pools were known internationally for their healing properties as far back as the 1800s.
People continued to use the hot pools until 1875 when entrepreneur Robert Graham made them even more appealing, building bath houses and a large hotel for guests on the site.
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The final parts of the structure are now being pulled down.
As at time of publication, no sale date has been set.