I have not been to Maruia Springs, but have been reading this page as part of my own personal investigation of places to visit in the South Island. I just want to say that I find the variety and range of comments helpful as, unlike those contributors here who claim that honest reviews that do not simply gush about a place is ‘whinging’, I appreciate that the concept of a review means that ALL aspects and experiences must be included, even the negative ones, otherwise it is not a true review. The person who says that ‘if you have nothing nice to say then don’t say it’, seems to have missed that point. A mature person understands that refusing to accept an honest account simply because you yourself didn’t have that experience is hardly conducive to providing a realistic assessment of a place. If someone has had a negative experience then it is just as valid and just as much simply a statement of fact as someone who has had a very positive experience. For those who are affronted by those who have had different experiences to them and having the honesty to say so, I wonder if the complainers of the complainers went on the same day at the same time, slept in exactly the same room, was attended to by exactly the same person, etc., etc.? Of course not. So how would they know that the reviews that recount a less-than-positive experience do not have some merit? Would I come to Maruia Springs, even after reading the cons as well as the pros? Yes, I would, and I am definitely planning to do so. As an intelligent and educated person, I am quite capable of taking into account that some people make mountains out of molehills, but I also realise and accept that negative experiences genuinely do happen. However, I will be able to select which times are better to go, whether I want to actually stay in one of the rooms or spend the money on extra hours in a pool, whether I want to dine in the restaurant, or whether I would prefer to have a picnic lunch somewhere, etc, etc, thereby ensuring that my stay is far more likely to be a pleasant one, due to the fact that I have been able to read about the ‘minuses’, as well as the ‘pluses’. I will also be able to advise others contemplating a trip, so that they get the best out of their experience and therefore will want to recommend the springs to others. If I personally don’t encounter any of the negative experiences that others have had, then well and good. But forewarned is forearmed, as they say, which I can’t be if reviews are simply ‘nice’ when ‘nice’ is not the only experience people have had.