Te Waikoropupu Springs - Golden Bay, South Island, New Zealand
S 40° 50.878 E 172° 46.114
59G E 649084 N 5476614
Te Waikoropupu is Australia's largest spring and the worlds clearest fresh water.
Waymark Code: WMAR43
Location: South Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 02/15/2011
Views: 9
The Te Waikoropupu Springs ('Pupu Springs') are located in Golden Bay, on New Zealand's South Island. The springs are known for the clarity of the water, and the volume of water discharged. The springs are spiritually significant to the Maori People.
The horizontal visibility of the water in the springs has been measured at an average of 63 metres, a world record for fresh water. This value, which was verified using specialist optical instruments, approaches the theoretical maximum for optically pure water. (See www.rsnz.org/publish/nzjmfr/1995/65.pdf)
The springs are notable for the volume of water discharged from the eight main vents. It is estimated that 14,000 litres of water are produced per second, approximately enough to fill 40 bathtubs. In a 1974 television documentary, it was noted that this would be enough water to supply a city the size of Boston, Massachusetts. The floor of the lake is covered with white sand. Waters expelled from some of the smaller vents carry the sand upward. These vents are known as the 'dancing sands', which for the few scuba divers who have secured permission to dive in the springs, is one of the highlights of underwater sightseeing.
The Springs have been registered as Wahi Tapu with the Maori Heritage Council of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. Waikoropupu is the legendary home of the female taniwha, Huriawa, one of the three main taniwha of Aotearoa. She is a diver of land and sea, travelling deep beneath the earth to clear blocked waterways. She is brave and wise and believed to still rest in the waters of Waikoropupu, when she is not away attending to business.
At the entrance to the walkway to the springs, the Department of Conservation has placed a sign:
"Te Waikoropupu Springs are a taonga (treasure) and waahi tapu (a sacred place) for Maori, both locally and nationally. The legends of Te Waikoropupu are told in the stories of Huriawa, its taniwha (guardian spirit). In Maori tradition the Springs are wairou, the purest form of water which is the wairua (spiritual) and the physical source of life. The Springs provide water for healing, and in the past were a place of ceremonial blessings at times of birth and death and the leaving and returning of travellers."
www.newzealand.com/travel/about/walking-hiking/article/crystal-clear-te-waikoropupu-springs
Public or Private Land?: Public
Public Land Fees?: Free
Private Land access?: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please post an original picture of the springs no GPS necessary along with your observations of the spring. What wildlife you saw if any and the condition of the springs. Water level was high, low. The area was clean, trashy ect. Any other knowledge or experiences you have had with this paticular spring that would help document it's history.