Lake Tikitapu, more commonly known as Blue Lake, is the smallest of four small

lakes A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

lying between

Lake Rotorua , image = Lake Rotorua.jpg , caption = Lake Rotorua , alt = Lake Rotorua , image_bathymetry = , pushpin_map=New Zealand#North Island , pushpin_map_alt = Location of Lake Rotorua , pushpin_relief=yes , caption_bathymetry = , location = R ...

and

Lake Tarawera Lake Tarawera is the largest of a series of lakes which surround the volcano Mount Tarawera in the North Island of New Zealand. Like the mountain, it lies within the Okataina caldera. It is located to the east of Rotorua, and beneath the pea ...

in the

Bay of Plenty Region The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaway ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

. The other three are

Lake Rotokakahi A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

(Green Lake),

Lake Okareka A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

, and

Lake Okataina A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

. Lake Tikitapu gets its name, Blue Lake, for its aqua colour. Its stunning blue colour can be attributed to the

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicular vol ...

and

rhyolite Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass. The mineral ...

that lies on the lake bed. Lake Tikitapu was formed 13,300 years ago as the result of a lava dam. The lake has a flat bed and, as a collapsed volcanic crater, it only has a maximum depth of 27.5m. The lake is approximately 150 hectares in size, with a catchment size of 620 hectares.

Activities and Leisure

There are plenty of activities to do on and surrounding the lake. On the lake, swimming, boating, trout fishing and watersports are popular activities. Both

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...

and

brook trout The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae. It is native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada, but has been introduced elsewhere ...

reside in the lake, making it very popular with experienced and recreational fishers. Popular with both locals and visitors; walking and biking tracks surround the lake. The 5.5km Blue Lake walking track circles the lake and weaves through native bush and exotic conifers of the Whakarewarewa Forest. The track comes to an end, reaching the beaches at the end of the lake. The track has been graded as easy, with the average walker taking an hour and thirty minutes to complete the track. The Tangaroamihi biking trail connects Lake Tikitapu to the Whakarewarewa Forest mountain bike trail network. It is a grade 2, 2.5km trail. The available facilities at Lake Tikitapu include BBQ's and picnic tables, children's playgrounds, ski lanes and boat ramps and public toilets, making it a popular choice for families. Lake Tikitapu hosts numerous events throughout the year; these events range from rowing regattas, wakeboarding competitions,

Waka Ama Waka () are Māori watercraft, usually canoes ranging in size from small, unornamented canoes (''waka tīwai'') used for fishing and river travel to large, decorated war canoes (''waka taua'') up to long. The earliest remains of a canoe in New ...

events and many more.

History

Lake Tikitapu is immersed in

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

history. The name itself is stemmed from a sacred greenstone, or

pounamu Pounamu is a term for several types of hard and durable stone found in southern New Zealand. They are highly valued in New Zealand, and carvings made from pounamu play an important role in Māori culture. Name The Māori word , also used ...

, necklace that is believed to have been worn by a daughter of a high ranking chief. It is understood that the daughter lost the necklace as she bathed in the crystal waters. New Zealand flatwater canoeist,

Lisa Carrington Dame Lisa Marie Carrington (born 23 June 1989) is a flatwater canoeist and New Zealand's most successful Olympian, having won a total of five gold medals and one bronze medal. She won three consecutive gold medals in the Women's K1 200metres a ...

, has competed in events numerous times at Blue Lake regattas. In 2018, she won all six of her events, and in 2020 Carrington won both the K1 (single kayak) 200m and K1 500m finals.

Legend of Lake Tikitapu

Māori legend also surrounds the lake. Legend says that the

Taniwha In Māori mythology, taniwha () are large supernatural beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers (giant waves). They may be considered highly respected ...

monster, named Kataore, lived in Lake Tikitapu. Kataore's initial loveable nature had changed as he grew up, and he became a mischievous taniwha who preyed on lone travellers. He was known to devour unsuspecting travelers in one gulp. Kataore's actions were getting out of hand, and he soon felt the rage of the neighbouring tribes. Kataore later made a detrimental mistake; he swallowed the chief's daughter, as she was on her way to be wed to a young chief, Reretoi. After hearing of this disaster, Reretoi assembled 140 bold warriors to seek revenge. Reretoi and his men managed to draw Kataore out of his cave and noose his neck, attack and slay him with

tewhatewha A tewhatewha is a long-handled Māori club weapon shaped like an axe. Designed to be held in two hands, the weapon comes to a mata (point) at one end and a rapa (broad, quarter-round head) at the other. Use Like pouwhenua and taiaha, this long ...

and

kotiate Kotiate is a type of traditional hand weapon of the Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. A kotiate is a short club normally made of wood or whalebone. Kotiate means to cut or divide the liver (koti = cut in two or divide; ate = liver), ...

. Kataore's body was stripped of his flesh, and his heart was eaten by the

tohunga In the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga (tōhuka in Southern Māori dialect) is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, either religious or otherwise. Tohunga include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, builders, teache ...

between the Blue and Green Lakes.

References

Lakes of the Bay of Plenty Region Okataina Volcanic Centre Volcanic crater lakes {{BayofPlenty-geo-stub