Te Waikoropupū Springs, also known as Pupu Springs and Waikaremumu Springs, are located in
Golden Bay Golden Bay may refer to:
* Golden Bay / Mohua, a bay at the northern end of New Zealand's South Island
* Golden Bay (Malta), a bay and beach on the coastline of Malta
* Golden Bay High School, a high school in Takaka, New Zealand
* Golden Bay, Wes ...
, in New Zealand's
South Island
The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
. The springs are known for the clarity of the water, and the volume of water discharged. The springs are spiritually significant to
Māori people
The Māori (, ) are the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand (). Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages between roughly 1320 and 1350. Over several ce ...
. The springs feed
Te Waikoropupū River, a short tributary of the
Tākaka River
The Tākaka River lies in the northwest of New Zealand's South Island. It runs north for 70 kilometres, entering Golden Bay / Mohua, Golden Bay near the town of Tākaka.
It was reported on 17 January 2007 that the Tākaka River is one of a growi ...
.
Water clarity
The horizontal visibility of the constantly 11.7 °C cool water in the springs has been measured at an average of 63 metres, and until 2011 was considered second only to sub-glacial water in the Antarctic. Since that year, however, the record holder for fresh
water clarity is
Blue Lake, also in
Tasman District.
Volume of water
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
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
. 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.
Spiritual significance
The springs have been registered as
wāhi tapu with the
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 ...
Heritage Council of
Heritage New Zealand.
Waikoropupū is the legendary home of the female
taniwha Huriawa, one of the three main taniwha of
Aotearoa
''Aotearoa'' () is the current Māori-language name for New Zealand. The name was originally used by Māori in reference to only the North Island, with the name of the whole country being ''Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu'' ("North Island and South ...
. 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 Waikoropupū, when she is not away attending to business.
At the entrance to the walkway to the springs, the
Department of Conservation
An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...
has placed a sign:
"Te Waikoropupu Springs are a taonga (treasure) and wāhi tapu (a sacred place) for Māori, both locally and nationally. The legends of Te Waikoropupu are told in the stories of Huriawa, its taniwha (guardian spirit). In Māori tradition the Springs are waiora, 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."
Environmental protection
In 2023 the Environment Court awarded the springs and their aquifer a Water Conservation Order, the highest legal protection.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Te Waikoropupu Springs
Landforms of the Tasman District
Springs of New Zealand
Karst springs
Golden Bay