Te Waikoropupū Springs
| Te Waikoropupū Springs | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Location | Tākaka, Tasman District, New Zealand |
| Spring source | Wharepapa Arthur Marble Aquifer |
| Elevation | 20m |
| Type | Karst spring |
| Discharge | 13.4 m3/s |
Te Waikoropupū Springs, also known as Pupu Springs and Waikaremumu Springs,[1] are located in Golden Bay, in the Tasman District of the South Island of New Zealand. The springs are known for the clarity of the water, and the volume of water discharged. The springs are spiritually significant to Māori people. The springs feed Te Waikoropupū River, a short tributary of the Tākaka River.
Water clarity
[edit]The water discharged from the springs is the clearest that has ever been recorded from a karst spring.[2] The horizontal visibility of the constantly 11.7 °C cool water in the springs has been measured at an average of 63 metres, and until 2011 was considered second only to sub-glacial water in the Antarctic.[3] Since that year, however, the record holder for fresh water clarity is Blue Lake, also in Tasman District.[4][5]
Aquifer
[edit]
The source of the springs is an aquifer beneath the Tākaka Valley. The catchment that supplies the aquifer covers an area of 940 km2 (360 sq mi), and rises to an elevation of 1,650 m (5,410 ft). The aquifer beneath the valley has three different types; the Takaka Unconfined Gravel Aquifer, Takaka Limestone Aquifer and Arthur Marble Aquifer. There are complex interactions between surface water and these aquifers, but the Arthur Marble Aquifer is the main source for Te Waikoropupū Springs.[6]
Volume of water
[edit]
The springs are notable for the volume of water discharged from the eight main vents. The mean outflow is 13.4 m3/s.[2] The floor of the lake is covered with white sand. Waters expelled from some of the smaller vents carry the sand upward. These vents are known as the 'dancing sands', which for the few scuba divers who have secured permission to dive in the springs, is one of the highlights of underwater sightseeing.[7]
Spiritual significance
[edit]
The springs are considered as sacred by the local iwi,[8] and have been registered as wāhi tapu with the Māori Heritage Council of Heritage New Zealand.[9] Waikoropupū is the legendary home of the female taniwha Huriawa, one of the three main taniwha of Aotearoa. She is a diver of land and sea, travelling deep beneath the earth to clear blocked waterways. She is brave and wise and believed to still rest in the waters of Waikoropupū, when she is not away attending to business.[10]
On signboards at the entrance to the springs, and in submissions seeking protection of the springs, iwi have stated:[8]
The waters of Te Waikoropupū represent the lifeblood of Papatūānuku [earth] and the tears of Ranginui [sky], symbolising the link between past and present.
At the entrance to the walkway to the springs, the Department of Conservation has placed a sign:
"Te Waikoropupu Springs are a taonga (treasure) and wāhi tapu (a sacred place) for Māori, both locally and nationally. The legends of Te Waikoropupu are told in the stories of Huriawa, its taniwha (guardian spirit). In Māori tradition the Springs are waiora, the purest form of water which is the wairua (spiritual) and the physical source of life. The Springs provide water for healing, and in the past were a place of ceremonial blessings at times of birth and death and the leaving and returning of travellers."
Environmental protection
[edit]In 2023 the Environment Court awarded the springs and their aquifer a Water Conservation Order (WCO), the highest legal protection.[11][12][13] The WCO came into effect in October 2023.[14] However, the Sixth National Government of New Zealand introduced the Fast-track Approvals Bill in March 2024 that would override WCOs if the legislation were to be passed as drafted.[15]
40°50′52″S 172°46′10″E / 40.8477°S 172.7694°E
References
[edit]
- ^ "The Pupu Springs, also called the Waikaremumu Springs, near Takaka, photographed from the air". The Press. 12 November 1968. Retrieved 21 December 2022 – via Papers Past.
- ^ a b Paul W. Williams (31 March 2023). "Arthur Marble Aquifer and Te Waikoropupu Springs, New Zealand: flow contributions and nitrate sources". Carbonates and Evaporites. 38 (2). doi:10.1007/S13146-023-00868-8. ISSN 0891-2556. Wikidata Q130570495.
- ^ "Places to visit – Nelson/Tasman – Golden Bay – Te Waikoropupū Springs". Department of Conservation. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
In 1993, The National Institute for Water and Atmosphere (NIWA) carried out optical measurements under water and found that the visibility was 63 metres.
- ^ "Nelson's Blue Lake – The clearest freshwater ever reported". NIWA. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
- ^ "Nelson's Blue Lake clearest". New Zealand Herald. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
- ^ Thomas, J.T.; Harvey, M.M. (July 2013). "Water Resources of the Takaka Water Management Area" (PDF). Tasman District Council. Retrieved 28 October 2024 – via Environmental Protection Authority.
- ^ Hindmarsh, Gerard (September 1992). "Underwater gardens of Pupu Springs". New Zealand Geographic (16).
- ^ a b Hindmarsh, Nina (27 March 2018). "Protecting Te Waikoropupū Springs' purity holds deep spiritual significance to iwi". Stuff. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- ^ "Te Waikoropupū". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Signboard: "The Legend of Huriawa", at the marae at the entrance to Te Waikoropupū. October 2024
- ^ "NZ's biggest freshwater springs granted highest legal protection". 1 News. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
- ^ "Water Conservation Order: Te Waikoropupū Springs". Environmental Protection Authority. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
- ^ "Highest legal protection for New Zealand's largest freshwater springs". beehive.govt.nz. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
- ^ Jacobs, Maxine (19 October 2023). "Historic water conservation order shields Te Waikoropupū springs". Te Ao News. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ Gee, Samantha (20 June 2024). "Possible Tasman gold mine only in 'exploration phase'". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 29 October 2024.