Te Waikoropupū Springs

Interesting facts

Although the springs lie about 50 metres above sea level, their flow rises and falls twice a day, an effect attributed to ocean loading and Earth tides.

At least one species of moss growing in the springs is found nowhere else in the world.

Water takes on average almost eight years to pass through the marble aquifer, which holds an estimated 2.85 cubic kilometres.

Since 2011 the record for clearest fresh water has belonged to nearby Blue Lake, Rotomairewhenua, where visibility of 70 to 80 metres rivals distilled water.

A 1974 television report claimed the springs' output of about 14,000 litres a second could supply a city the size of Boston.

In the 19th century gold miners cleared the surrounding lowland forest to dig water races for sluicing alluvial gold, and mining went on until about 1910.

Huriawa, the taniwha of the springs, is counted among the three principal taniwha of Aotearoa.

Only a handful of scuba divers were ever granted permission to dive in the springs.

Nitrate levels in the water have crept up over some 50 years, one of the reasons the springs were given special legal protection.

The springs are also known by a second Māori name, Waikaremumu.

Why it is worth it

Te Waikoropupū Springs, often called Pupu Springs, near Tākaka in Golden Bay, are the largest cold-water springs in the Southern Hemisphere and hold some of the clearest fresh water ever measured. Water rises from eight main vents into a pool floored with white sand, at a constant temperature of about 11.7 °C and an average flow of some 13.4 cubic metres per second. Horizontal visibility has been measured at an average of around 63 metres; until 2011 that was thought to be second only to Antarctic sub-glacial water.

The source is the Arthur Marble Aquifer beneath the Tākaka Valley, fed by a catchment of around 940 square kilometres that rises to 1,650 metres. Water moves slowly underground, is filtered by tiny aquifer-dwelling animals, and emerges almost free of organic matter. Where it bursts up through the smaller vents, it keeps the sand on the bottom in constant motion, and these "dancing sands" are one of the loveliest sights in the pool, blue-green shading to deep indigo over the main vents.

The springs are wāhi tapu, a sacred place, for Māori, and are registered as such with Heritage New Zealand. They are the home of Huriawa, a female taniwha, or guardian spirit, who travels beneath land and sea clearing blocked waterways. In tradition the water here is waiora, the purest form of water, and the springs were used for healing and for blessings at birth and death and at the departure and return of travellers.

In 2023 a Water Conservation Order gave the springs and their aquifer the highest level of legal protection available to a body of water in New Zealand. To protect both the water and its meaning, the springs and their streams are closed to all contact: no swimming, wading, diving or touching the water.

Getting there

The springs are about 7 km from Tākaka. From the car park, a short loop walk of about a kilometre through mānuka and kānuka forest leads to boardwalks and a viewing platform above the main spring. Nelson Airport (NSN) is about 63 km away in a straight line; Richmond, the nearest large town, about 64 km, with the road route considerably longer.

From the encyclopaedia

Te Waikoropupū Springs, also known as Pupu Springs and Waikaremumu Springs, are located near Tākaka in Golden Bay, in the Tasman District of the South Island of New Zealand. The springs are known for the exceptional clarity of the water, and the volume of water discharged. They are the largest cold–water springs in the Southern Hemisphere. The springs are spiritually significant to Māori people. The springs feed Te Waikoropupū River, a short tributary of the Tākaka River.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Te Waikoropupū Springs

Interesting facts

Why it is worth it

Getting there

Plan your visit

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From the encyclopaedia