Te Waihou Walkway / Blue Spring

The Leslie Road entrance re-opened on Thursday 5 December 2024.

The entrance was closed due to a rockfall that blocked access to the Spring from the Leslie Road end.

The Council is upgrading track structures at the Whites Road end. This work is ongoing.

The full Walkway is expected to be open early next year, allowing access from both ends of the Track.

The Council has budgeted $2.1 million for track renewal over the first three years through the Long Term Plan.

Signage and worksite fencing are in place to ensure public safety around the closed sections of the Track.

The walkway is 4.7 kilometres one way and takes about 1 hour one way or three hours return to walk.

Yes, you can take a picnic as long as rubbish is taken away with you or disposed of appropriately in the few bins provided. Do not litter on Te Waihou Walkway.

Alcohol consumption is discouraged, but can't currently be prohibited. In order to prohibit alcohol we would need to include Te Waihou in our Public Places Bylaw as a prohibited alcohol consumption area; and then of course there is the question of how to regulate, monitor and enforce.

Swimming is permitted at the Whites Road end carpark and along Te Waihou at various points. People are cautioned against causing damage to the banks of the river. Swimming is discouraged at the Blue Spring and nearby environment itself as swimming has already caused significant damage to the vegetation, particularly marginal river bank plantings that is breeding and feeding habitat for fish species.

No, dogs are not allowed on the Te Waihou Walkway because of the proximity to stock on private land, dog waste not being picked up by some users and danger to wildlife in the area.

Yes, there are three operational toilets. One at Whites Road carpark, one along the track and one at the Blue Spring. This toilet is still open for use.

Camping is not permitted anywhere along Te Waihou Walkway nor in the parking lots at Leslie Road and Whites Road. The Whites Road parking area is a Rest Area managed by the New Zealand Transport Agency and does not allow for overnight camping.

No.

Parts of the walkway has steeper tracks and some parts are on gravel. Some of these parts are not suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. Gates at both ends of the walkway mean wheelchair and pushchair access is not recommended. However, if needing access from the Leslie Road entrance please contact Council prior to your visit on 027 222 4125 to make arrangements to pick up the gate key from the Putāruru Council Office.

Kayaking is not prohibited, but access is difficult.

The Blue Spring is a natural taonga (treasure) formed through the special and delicate merger of geology, ecology, freshwater biology and geography, over many hundreds of thousands of years.

Yes, but a fishing licence is required. These can be acquired from Council offices in Tīrau, Tokoroa or from the Putāruru Information Centre.

Swimming at the Blue Spring itself and immediately upstream of the Spring is discouraged, but people are permitted to swim at the Whites Road end of the walkway.

Swimming in the Blue Spring area has damaged the environment. The lack of marginal plants along the river bank dramatically reduces the habitats for native fish.

Yes, you can report it to Council on 07 885 0340 or online here. We capture all that information however at this stage Council can't ban or prohibit swimming, nor can we fine people for swimming.

The Blue Spring is about 800 metres along Te Waihou Walkway from the Leslie Road end. The Spring is in the round alcove directly across from the viewing platform. The Spring itself is about eight metres down in the river bed. Currently only the short walk option from the Leslie Road end available. The walk from the Whites Road end is normally 4.7km walk (one way), 9.4km round trip.

The water that comes from the Blue Spring flows from the Kaimais via the Mamaku Plateau. It takes anywhere from 50 to 100 years to reach the Blue Spring from its source.

The beautiful clear blue-green of the Blue Spring and Te Waihou is due to its purity as particles are removed during its journey through underground acquifers.

Water flows from the spring at a rate of 700 litres per second.

It's been underground for between 50 and 100 years.

The gate at the Leslie Road end is locked to vehicle access by the public. Sometimes vehicles will be seen on the Leslie Road access way however these are Council or Council contractor vehicles as we service our water Pump Station and maintain the Walkway and service the toilet in the area. Other vehicles would potentially be the landowner as Te Waihou Walkway is partially on private property.

The ultra-violet disinfection system is housed in the shed. Urban household water supply from the Blue Spring is treated to meet the strict drinking water standards in NZ. Council is confident that the water supply from the Blue Spring is safe for human consumption.

Water from the Blue Spring supplies approximately half of the township of Putāruru and water bottlers.

We sample the water every four days at the headworks to ensure the absence of e.Coli and other chloroforms to ensure the supply meets the Drinking Water Standards. Further sampling is conducted every eight days in the reticulation system. We sample for pH and turbidity every two to three days. We sample for cryptosporidium and giardia twice a year.

Council has Water Supply Agreements with each of the bottlers, which allows each of the bottles to take a certain volume of water from Councils supply each day.

They pay $1.25 per m3 as per the fees and charges.

Council treats all industry the same that use water from Council's supply, whether the water is used for wood treatment, concrete making or making cups of coffee.

Bottlers do not take water from the Blue Spring. Council takes water from the Blue Spring under a resource consent with Waikato Regional Council and water is supplied to bottlers under a legal agreement. Half of the Putāruru township is supplied with water from this source. The bottlers are only three properties that are supplied from this source.