Posted by John on November 16, 2002 at 03:18:33 from 202.154.130.40 user hugo.
In Reply to: Re: Taking the waters in NZ posted by Prue Eckett on November 10, 2002 at 20:43:02:
I think that “taking the waters” at a spa referred to bathing in the mineral waters at tne spa. A book “Taking the Waters” by Ian Rockel on New Zealand’s early spas has pictures of bathing in segregated pools and in a piscine or sunken rectangular bath. Also special baths like the Needle Douch with jets of water on the body and Dr Schnee’s electric four cell bath with four glass cells for the arms and legs, and a large rheostat for the electric supply! It was supposed to create involuntary movements of arthritic limbs and increase the flow of blood to the extremities. The main 19th century resorts were at Rotorua, Te Aroha, Hamner and Waiwera. Te Aroha had drinkable waters, including sodium bicarbonate.
In 1902 the New Zealand Government appointed a Government Balneologist; balneology is the science of bathing. He was to develop Rotorua as an Edwardian Spa, to be the great Spa of the South Seas.
The appointee as Government Balneologist, Dr Arthur Wohlmann, was English, from Bath. In WWI he wisely if not successfully changed his surname to Herbert, his mother’s maiden name. He was still thought by locals to be keeping in touch with Germany by radio. There was anti-German hysteria in New Zealand, although the Franz Josef Glacier survived being named after the Austrian Emperor!