Parakai: Hot Springs and Skydiving

Thermal pools and skydives make for two very different experiences in Parakai. Kaipātiki Hot Springs combines naturally heated water with year-round swimming in all weather. At West Auckland Airport, meanwhile, tandem jumps take off from great heights. Whether you want to choose between water and air sports during your stay or plan to do both, Parakai is a place whose offerings go far beyond a single day-trip destination.

Thermal water and a variety of pools

Kaipātiki Hot Springs offers indoor and outdoor pools, as well as two waterslides and private spas. One pool is reserved for adults; there is also a heated outdoor pool with a beach-like area. These different types of pools give the thermal baths several dimensions: indoor swimming, spending time outdoors in warm water, or enjoying the slides are all options. Year-round swimming in all weather is a distinctive feature of the place, and the water experiences are not limited to a particular season.

In the wider thermal bathing area, Kaipātiki Ora is open. It has cedar thermal pools, steam rooms, cold plunge pools and private dry changing areas. The combination of heat, steam rooms and cold plunge pools sets this offering apart from the pools and slides at Kaipātiki Hot Springs. The private changing areas are another specific feature. Kaipātiki provides access to the thermal springs in the settlement of Parakai.

Kaipātiki Hot Springs also offers rental options for birthday parties, whānau gatherings, school trips, club visits, community events and corporate outings. The offering therefore caters to a variety of occasions and groups. If you are travelling with several generations or as a larger group, you can consider the pools and the listed rental options as different aspects of the thermal baths, without needing to have a particular occasion in mind.

Skydiving at Parakai Airport

At West Auckland Airport in Parakai, Skydive Auckland offers tandem skydives from 18,000 feet, described as New Zealand’s highest tandem jumps. For tandem jumps from 10,000 feet, views from Whangārei to Mount Ruapehu and Mount Taranaki are described in clear conditions. The altitude figures refer to different jump options. The expansive views are expressly dependent on clear conditions.

Commercial skydiving has been a significant activity at West Auckland Parakai for 50 years. The airport is home to a skydive drop zone officially approved by the Civil Aviation Authority. It is an all-weather airport with a sealed runway suitable for many types of aviation activity. These details describe the airport and its connection to aviation; the jump heights and views remain separate features of the tandem offerings.

Parakai as a holiday destination

Kaipātiki is also known as Parakai Recreation Reserve and is the site of Kaipātiki Hot Springs. The area is located directly beside the Kaipara River. When choosing a holiday home in Parakai, your travel interests can help guide your decision: thermal water and a variety of pools make it a good choice for a stay focused on bathing, while skydiving offers a very different experience.

More destinations: Onetangi, Takanini, Auckland, Muriwai Beach, Waiatarua, Drury, Glen Murray and Puhoi.

Back to the main travel overview: Auckland.