Te Waihou Walkway

Near Putaruru you can walk to the famous Blue Spring, which supplies around 60% of New Zealand's bottled water.

The Te Waihou Walkway near Putaruru leads to the Blue Spring, one of the purest water sources in the world. This easy hike, through pastureland at the edge of the Waihou River, takes around three hours return.

When you reach the spring, you'll be impressed with its blueness - visible evidence of its purity. The water takes between 50 and 100 years to reach the surface, where some of it is bottled and sold under the 'Pump' brand. The spring flows at a rate of 42 cubic metres per minute (9240 gallons per minute) and is a constant 11°C in every season. The Blue Spring could fill a six lane, 25 metre swimming pool in just over 12 minutes!

The Blue Spring provided inspiration for the Putaruru Water Park, a work of water and art that gives the rural town of Putaruru a special point of difference. The two large mosaics in the park depict life in the local district.