Blue Spring - Te Waihou River Walk
The stunning Blue Spring Te Waihou Walkway is located just out of Putaruru © Freewalks.nz
The walk to the Blue Spring along the Te Waihou Walkway is an easy 4.7km (one way) trail that took us around 3 hours there and back.
The water is so pure it’s bottled and sold and supplies around 60% of New Zealand’s bottled water. We enjoyed seeing trout swimming in the crystal clear water as we followed the track alongside the river to the Blue Spring. The water has been filtered over 100 years which produces this beautiful blue colour and is super clear. You really have to go there to truly experience how stunning it is. If you want a very short walk, 15 minutes each way, then park the car in the car park down Leslie Road.
The Blue Spring – Te Waihou Walkway is open all year round. We took our lunch and enjoyed the water views, but please take your rubbish with you. Although there is no swimming allowed at the Blue Spring itself you can swim at the Whites Rd end car park and along the Te Waihou river at various points.
If you plan on trying your hand at fishing for those beautiful trout along the way, don’t forget to buy a fishing license.
Quick Facts about this walk
- Location: Putaruru, North Island, New Zealand
- Distance: 4.70 km
- The time needed: 3 Hours
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Mountain Bike: No
- Wheelchair Access: No
- Route: Double back
- Elevation: 144m
- Wet Feet: No
- Toilets: Yes, there are 4 toilets. One at Whites Road car park, two along the track and one at the Blue Spring.
- Dogs: No
- Camping: No camping allowed anywhere
- Mobile Coverage: No
- Last Updated: March 2022
We’ve partnered with Macpac outdoor walking & hiking gear to bring you the very best products designed exclusively for our New Zealand climate. They’ll ship for FREE within NZ on orders over $100 (if under $100 it’s only $5). Worldwide international shipping is available except to the USA. Bulky orders will be $20.
Summary points about this walk
Points of interest along the walk
Excellent track quality along to the Blue Spring
Composting toilet at Blue Spring
Lots of tree planting along the walkway
Looking down the track with the Waihou River
Car park at the beginning of the walk
The Start of the Blue Spring, Te Waihou River Walkway
The track is so easy to find from the car park. Follow the gravel track up to the first bridge. 15 minutes into the walk you will pass the bio toilet, yes it is the only one on the walk. The track is very easy to follow. At the bridge, you can take the high road or the low road. We crossed over the bridge on the way up to the Blue Spring and came back on the low road.
H2o Water at the pump shed at the Blue Spring
Bench seats at the end of the Blue Spring walk
Look for trout along the way, the water is so clear
Nice board walk as part of the walk
Enjoy the stunning views of the clear water
Grassy bit of the track
End of the walk to the Blue Spring along the Te Waihou Walkway
The last section of the walk is through a gorge, so they say, I would call it a gully. This gully was a bit on the rough side when we did this walk. I hope the track has been worked on since then. You will get the chance to look down into the Waihou River and see trout darting in and out of the weed.
At the Blue Spring, there is a pump shed, this is where spring water is pumped into Putaruru town where the spring water is bottled and sold to a number of bottled water companies in NZ. From the pump shed, you can walk up the hill and onto the track leading to Leslie Road, this will save you 20 minutes, so long as someone picks you up at the road end.
What sort of walking and hiking gear will you need
We’ve partnered with Macpac outdoor walking & hiking gear to bring you the very best products designed exclusively for our New Zealand climate. They’ll ship for FREE within NZ on orders over $100 (if under $100 it’s only $5). Worldwide international shipping is available except to the USA. Bulky orders will be $20.
Hi, we plan to bring our kids here during Xmas time. May I know if there will be any dates it’s not opened?
Hi, this walk is always open to everyone and free to walk anytime. There are never any restrictions on it unless perhaps there is maintenance work or something like that. I hope you and your family enjoy this walk.
Hi just confirming is there 2 actual starting locations for the walk ?, we’re just looking at doing the 15 minute walk Thankyou
Hi David, yes there are two starting locations, however, the main one is much better, but for a shorter walk, you can park down Leslie Rd and walk from there. Hope you enjoy your walk.
Are there any good spots for a swim in the river?
Hi Dave, if you can find somewhere to get in, go for it, but be prepared, it’s going to be really cold even on a hot summer day. It’s normally around 11 degrees celsius all year round. Please don’t swim at the Blue Spring or the surrounding area to help preserve the environment.
Hi! Are the roads going to Blue Spring now open? We tried going there in February but the area (I think Whites Road) was closed off due to roadworks in the vicinity. Also, do we have to walk the entire 4.7km to enjoy sighting the plants under crystal clear waters as shown on photo here? I’m asking as not sure our 6-year old would be willing to walk that distance 🙁
Hi Angie, yes the road is open now. No, you don’t have to walk the entire 4.7km to enjoy sighting the plants under the crystal clear waters, you will see them straight away from the beginning of the walk. The water is beautiful the whole way. Hope you enjoy your walk.
where is the map, I saw lots of featurised pictures that get big and small , awkward to read, but no map link, ohhh jezzz..waste of time.. and i see macpac are selling boots, but so what,
Hi Joanne, thanks so much for letting me know the map was not working and a couple of the photos were too close up. I’ve fixed this up now and it should read and look a lot better. Thanks again for your feedback.