Blue Spring, Te Waihou Walkway, New Zealand Mar 22, 2024

Explore the Te Waihou Walkway while hiking along the Waihou River in New Zealand. This trail near Putāruru—officially opened by former Prime Minister Helen Clark in 2000—leads to the Blue Spring. The spring, famous for its pure water, supplies 70% of the country"s bottled water, which is sourced from an underground aquifer system. The water, radiating vivid shades of blue and green, has a temperature of 11 degrees Celsius all year round. With a robust flow rate of 42 metres per minute, it could fill a six-lane, 25-metre swimming pool in just over 12 minutes. Called "Te Puna" in Maori, the spring is a natural taonga (treasure). So don"t be tempted to splash in the water; to preserve the unique vegetation and ecosystem, swimming is prohibited.

© Ian Beattie/Alamy

palette

Today in History

Mar 22, 2025Cenote Nicte-Ha, Tulum, Mexico
Mar 22, 2026Lake Tanganyika, Africa

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Oct 6, 2023Taughannock Falls State Park, New York, USA
Apr 4, 2025National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, DC, United States
Mar 2, 2024Modica, Sicily, Italy
Apr 5, 2026Lake Gentau in the French Pyrenees
Jun 24, 2024Kelimutu, Flores, Indonesia
Jul 13, 2025Basalt columns in Kálfshamarsvík cove, Skagi peninsula, Iceland
Jan 13, 2025Cottage and Tŵr Mawr lighthouse, Ynys Llanddwyn, Wales, United Kingdom
Mar 4, 2024Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica
May 22, 2024Tasmanian snow gum, Mount Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia
Jul 19, 2025Luna moth
Mar 15, 2025The Temple of Saturn, Rome, Italy
Sep 20, 2024Ocracoke Lighthouse on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, USA
Jun 13, 2025Vila Franca Islet, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal
Nov 21, 2025Harbour seals
Jun 27, 2024Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence
Apr 11, 2024Dragon waterfall, Venezuela
Mar 23, 2026Saguaro cacti in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA
Aug 6, 2024Molokini crater, Maui, Hawaii, USA
Apr 24, 2026Everglades National Park, Florida, United States
Apr 6, 2024Himeji Castle, Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
Nov 19, 2025Hungarian Parliament Building, Budapest, Hungary
May 29, 2024Eurasian otters
Apr 17, 2024Black bear cub emerges into spring
Jun 8, 2024Confluence of Easter Creek and Killik River, Alaska, USA
Apr 4, 2024Lechwe herd, Botswana
Mar 21, 2026Letea Forest, Danube Delta, Romania
Feb 17, 2024The Pragser Wildsee in the Dolomites, Italy
Apr 15, 2024Château de Chambord, France
Jul 7, 2024Rice terraces of Mù Cang Chải, Yên Bái province, Vietnam
Aug 6, 2025Ring-tailed lemur