In previous posts on the topic - lakes of the world, we introduced you to floating islands and amazing flowers. Today we offer you to travel to New Zealand, to an unusual lake on the planet - Rotomairewhenua, which translated from Maori means blue Lake. This small freshwater lake is located in the Nelson Lakes National Park, in the northern regions of the Southern Alps, New Zealand.
It has become famous since 2011, when specialists from the National Institute of Water Resources and Atmospheric Research discovered that the lake has extreme visibility, the visibility of which reaches 80 meters in depth. Previously, the world record was held by another lake - Te Waikoropupu Springs, which is also located in New Zealand and which has a visibility of 63 meters.
Blue Lake is characterized by blue-violet hues, which are caused by natural filters that purify the water. The lake is fed by a glacial reservoir located in the mountains. The dam between them, consisting of different rocks, is an excellent natural filter.
The first person to spark interest in the small lake was hydrologist Rob Merriles. Then the specialists from the National Institute came into play, led by Dr. Rob Davis-Colley. Six scientific flights to the blue lake confirmed that its waters are crystal clear. “The theory is that visibility in distilled water is about 80 meters, and this is the best measurement estimate,” says Rob Davies-Colley. “Blue Lake comes close to such estimates.”
Within the borders of the very southwest, the region has one interesting lake called Houroko. The lake is not large, its area is 63 square kilometers. Nearby are lakes Monowai and Poteriteri, and Houroko lies between these lakes. And a little further away is the country's southernmost lake, Hakapaua. A few kilometers south of Lake Houroko rises Mount Caroline Peak, whose height is 1704 meters. From the lake to the largest fjord there are only 18 kilometers, but this road is very difficult and impassable. Houroko lies in a remote area and there is no bus service there. There is only one road leading to the lake, which leads to road number 99 in the Clifden area. The section of this road, approximately 10 kilometers from the lake, is of poor quality. There is no asphalt surface here, the road is strewn with fine gravel, but it is quite flat. The rest of the road is in very good condition. The closest settlement is a small town, about 35 kilometers east of the lake.
The deepest lake in the country.
The main reason for interest in Lake Houroko is not only its beauty. This lake is the deepest lake in the world and ranks seventeenth in the list of the deepest lakes in the world. Its depth is 462 meters. When you imagine that under your boat there is a layer of water almost half a kilometer deep, you can’t help but tremble. Houroko is also one of the southernmost lakes in the world. Lake Houroko stretches from north to south and is very long, but narrow. If you sail on a boat on the lake, you get the impression that you are floating on a river. Its length from north to south is 40 kilometers, and its width does not exceed three kilometers. Even on a speedboat you have to cross the length of the lake, at least an hour. If you look at the lake from a bird's eye view, the lake resembles the Latin letter "s". The water in the lake is very clean and cold, probably due to its depth and alpine location, since it is located at an altitude of 150 meters above sea level. Lake Houroko has a connection with the ocean. In the southernmost part of the lake, the Wairaurahiri River flows out of it, which carries the waters of the lake into the ocean. The distance from the shores of the lake to the shores of the ocean is 20 kilometers.
Tourism.
The lake is not yet an object of tourist pilgrimage. There are no hotels, motels or restaurants here. There is no tourist infrastructure in the lake area. Nearby hotels and restaurants are located in and the distance to which is from eighty to one hundred kilometers. There is, however, a small hotel in the town of Tuataper, but the town is not a tourist site and therefore there are no proper conditions here, although you can spend another night. The hotel has a refrigerator, hot water, internet and all other necessary conditions. The route of one of the most difficult tourist routes, the Dusky Trek, whose length is 68 kilometers, passes through the lake. You don’t often see people on the lake; sometimes local farmers come to relax, mostly on weekends. But you can do good fishing on the lake.
Damn island.
Mary Island is located in the eastern part of Lake Houroko. This is the largest of all the islands in the lake. Many local myths are associated with this island. They say that this island was cursed by Maori sorcerers. Whether this is true or not, we don’t know about it. Local Maori deny this fact. The lake and the island did not cause any harm to people. Let's hope that the stories about the cursed island are myths and legends, folklore. But be that as it may, in order to avoid troubles, it is better to admire the island from the outside, otherwise who knows, anything can happen.
Lake Houroki is very beautiful. Uninhabited area, snowy mountain peaks surrounding the lake on all sides and nature untouched by human hands. All this creates unforgettable impressions, and the memories remain in our memory for a lifetime.
Nelson Lakes National Park is home to the clearest body of water in the world. This is the “Blue Lake”, which the Maori call Rotomairewhenua. The New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) conducted a scientific experiment here in 2011, which showed that the Blue Lake is the most transparent natural body of water known to man. According to studies, visibility in the lake reaches up to 80 meters - which means that it is as “optically transparent” as distilled water.
The waters of nearby Lake Constance pass through rocks, which serve as a natural filter, and feed the Blue Lake, which is characterized by blue-violet hues. The water temperature in it ranges from 5 to 8°C.
The indigenous people of New Zealand - the Maori - consider Blue Lake sacred, so no people are allowed to enter it. In early 2013, Danish photojournalist and environmentalist Klaus Thymann received special permission to photograph the site from Māori, NIWA and the New Zealand Department of Environmental Conservation. It is his photographs that you see here.
Blue Lake, in Nelson Lakes National Park on New Zealand's North Island, is considered the cleanest lake on Earth. According to measurements, underwater visibility in the reservoir ranges from 73 to 80 meters!
It’s wonderful, but only specialists can see it from the inside. Everyone else, with a certain persistence, can admire the Blue Lake only from the outside - swimming is prohibited here, since the local indigenous population from the Maori tribe considers the reservoir sacred.
The original name sounds like Rotomairewhenua, translated as “lake of peaceful lands” and makes you think very much, since the Maori have always been a warlike people, and let’s keep silent about cannibalism.
- By the way, the crystal clearness of the reservoir is explained simply. The lake is filled with water from the neighboring much larger Lake Constance (not to be confused with the German Lake Constance))), and before it gets where it needs to go, it passes through a mountain range, clearing itself of impurities and suspended matter.
Relatively close (even further north) is another famous landmark of New Zealand, the volcanic lake Rotorua, which occupies the crater of an ancient volcano.
As is known, due to its remoteness and unspoilt beauty, it is now considered one of the exclusive tourist destinations and is popular among wealthy or established travelers. It’s not expensive, but it’s so beautiful!
The distant country of New Zealand attracts tourists with its amazing history. There are many natural monuments here, preserved in their original form. And Blue Lake is considered such an example.
This freshwater lake is located in the northern part of the country, in Nelson National Park. On our planet, New Zealand's Blue Lake is the most extraordinary. The water here is cold all year round, as glaciers are very close. They allow the lake to maintain its water level. The water in the lake changes its hue depending on the time of year, and the lower the air temperature, the bluer the lake. In summer, the lake takes on a purple hue.
There are numerous platforms on the shore from which tourists admire the beautiful scenery. And they see a wonderful view of the Blue Lake, which is surrounded by majestic rocks and unique trees. Not long ago it was discovered that it has extremely pure water. It originates from the waters of the underground Lake Constance, where almost all particles that are suspended in the water are filtered out by the soil.
After heavy rainfalls, the water in the lake becomes cloudy. But after a day the water is completely renewed. Depth visibility is eighty meters. From the surface of the lake you can view the inhabitants of the reservoir at a depth of up to eighty meters without intruding into their world. Diving and swimming are not allowed in the lake.
The lake is fed by glacier waters in the Southern Alps. The lake is located at an altitude of over a thousand meters above sea level. The water temperature in the lake is very cold, it does not exceed five to eight degrees Celsius.
The Maori tribes consider this lake sacred. They hold a ceremony on the lake for the dead people. The Maoris believe that the purified souls of the dead can travel to Hawaiki. Maori tribes believe that the souls of the dead will return to their homeland after death.
How to relax here
During the hot daytime, tourists love to be near the cool, refreshing surface of the Blue Lake. Here on the shore of the lake there are restaurants offering tourists to taste Mediterranean or Italian cuisine.
In New Zealand, great attention is paid to the environment. Scientists have noted that this amazingly beautiful country is also the cleanest on the planet. It comes as no surprise that New Zealand's Blue Lake is located in this country. I can’t believe that in our time you can find a piece of land with pristine, stunning nature.
