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.

NOTE: The short walk from Leslie Rd is currently closed as at 9 Sept 2023. Check here for updates from the council.

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
  • Map of Leslie Rd Car Park
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Summary points about this walk

Walk Highlights

Crystal clear, blue spring water. You walk along the Waihou river all the way to the blue spring. It is also an enjoyable walk through the countryside. Keep an eye out for rainbow trout.

Track Quality

A well looked after track, very easy walk. Sorry no swimming at the Blue Spring.

Hazards

The Blue Spring is very fragile, and the clarity and purity of its waters sustain not only the Putāruru community but many others in New Zealand and the world.

Transport

No, you need to make your own way there as there is no bus service.

Water

No tap water, plenty of water in the Waihou River

Driving Instructions

The Waihou River is on the back road to Rotorua. Linking State Highways 1 and 5 in the South Waikato District situated off Whites Road. Blue Spring - Te Waihou Walkway is situated off Whites Road. There is limited car-parking. There is no shuttle service from Putāruru township or i-SITE.

Shops & Restaurants Nearby

5.2 Km drive to Putaruru

Area & Trail History

The Blue Spring is only 5km North of Putaruru. Work started on the Te Waihou walkway in 1999. Over 400 students from the local schools in and around Putaruru were involved in planting trees on the Te Waihou Walkway. The water feeding the Blue Spring is from the Mamaku Plateau. It is only a short 13km stroll to the Mamaku Plateau but it takes the water 50 to 100 years to reach the Blue Spring. The 11 degrees celsius water flows at a rate of 9,240 gallons per minute. And as we all know, pure water is always blue.

Blue Spring Map Location

Points of interest along the walk​

Excellent track quality along the Blue Spring, Waihou River Walk
Excellent track quality along to the Blue Spring
Composting toilet at Blue Springs
Composting toilet at Blue Spring
Lots of tree planting along the walkway - Blue Spring - Te Waihou Walkway
Lots of tree planting along the walkway
Looking down the track on the Blue Spring - Te Waihou Walkway
Looking down the track with the Waihou River
Car park at the beginning of the walk to the Blue Spring - Te Waihou Walkway
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
H2o Water at the pump shed at the Blue Spring
The end of the Blue Springs, Waihou River Walk
Bench seats at the end of the Blue Spring walk
Look for trout along the way to the Blue Springs, Te Waihou River Walk
Look for trout along the way, the water is so clear
Nice board walk as part of the Blue Springs, Te Waihou River Walk
Nice board walk as part of the walk
Enjoy the stunning views of the clear water on your way to the Blue Springs, Waihou River Walk
Enjoy the stunning views of the clear water
Grassy track on the Blue Springs, Te Waihou River Walk
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.