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.

NOTE: The walk from either end is temporarily closed until Nov 2024. Check here for updates from the council.

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 walk from either end is temporarily closed until Nov 2024. 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

Points of interest along 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.

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.