In 1848 a gentleman by the name of Samuel Clare had been a patient of Auckland hospital for nine months. Upon being pronounced incurable, he declared "I wish to go to Waiwera to die". And so he was promptly landed on the beach with two weeks provisions, and could only crawl on his hands and knees a few yards at a time. He managed to scrape a hole in the sand, and there bathed and drank the waters. At the expiration of two weeks he was able to walk around the beach, and for sixteen years afterwards lived by hard work in the bush. He always declared that the springs could effect greater cures than all the doctors put together.