Te Waikoropupu Springs
| Te Waikoropupu Springs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Te Waikoropupu Springs |
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| location | ||||
| Country or region | Tasman District ( New Zealand ) | |||
| Coordinates | 40 ° 50 ′ 52 ″ S , 172 ° 46 ′ 9 ″ E | |||
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| geology | ||||
| Exit type | Source pot | |||
| Hydrology | ||||
| Receiving waters | Takaka River | |||
| Bulk | 14,000 l / s | |||
Coordinates: 40 ° 50 ′ 52 ″ S , 172 ° 46 ′ 9 ″ O
The Te Waikoropupū Springs (Pupu Springs) are a spring pot on the coast of Golden Bay in the Tasman region on the South Island of New Zealand , about 6 km west of Takaka in the valley of the Takaka River . The springs are known for their clear water and high water output and are religiously significant for the Māori .
Visibility
The horizontal visibility of the water in the source pot was measured by the National Institute for Water and Atmosphere (NIWA) at an average of 63 meters. Until 2011, this was the greatest visibility in an inland body of water, surpassed only by lakes in the Antarctic covered by glacial ice.
The lake lost its record status in 2011 when the NIWA measured significantly higher visibility in Blue Lake , also in the Tasman region. The measurements determined visibility of 70 to 80 meters (distilled water for laboratory purposes has a visibility of around 80 m).
Water discharge
The spring is known for its high water output from its eight main chimneys. 14,000 liters of water are expelled every second. A television report in 1974 noted that this was enough to supply a city the size of Boston . The bottom of the lake is covered with white sand that is ejected from smaller vents. These chimneys are known as "dancing sands".
Significance among the Māori
The springs are registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as the Māori Wahi Tapu .
According to legend, the source is the place of residence of the female Taniwha Huriawa , one of the most important three Taniwha of Aotearoa . She travels deep under land and water and clears blocked waterways. She is brave and wise, and is believed to rest in the waters of the Waikoropupū Springs when she is not out and about.
According to the Māori tradition, the water is a Taonga (treasure) and Wahi Tapu (sacred place) for the indigenous people of the region and the whole country. The water is known as "waiora", the purest form of water and the spiritual and physical source of life. Hence the water was used for healing purposes and ceremonies on the occasion of birth and death and farewell and return of travelers.
So far, only a few divers have received permission to dive the source lake.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Te Waikoropupū Springs: Golden Bay Places to visit, accessed April 10, 2012
- ↑ a b Nelson’s Blue Lake - The clearest freshwater ever reported . NIWA. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
- ↑ Nelson's Blue Lake clearest . In: New Zealand Herald , December 20, 2011.
- ↑ Information board of the Department of Conservation at the source: "Te Waikoropupu Springs are a taonga (treasure) and waahi 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 travelers. "