The Blue Spring, Waikato

Said smugly, I’ve been raving on about The Blue Spring in the Waikato for months now. Not like these Johny-Come-Blue-Spring-Latelys at Stuff.co.nz who’ve today asked the question: “Is it NZ’s best kept secret?” Months! Four to be exact. But still, months!

Truth be told, like most Kiwis I’d never heard of the place. It wasn’t until September last year when Ann and Eddie who run Lake Karapiro Lodge half an hour up the road from The Blue Spring recommended it with such enthusiasm that it seemed rude not to at least have a quick look.

Doing a two hour return walk alongside the crystalline, blue-tinged river, it was something of a revelation. How has the Waikato been hiding this? Since then I’ve written about The Blue Spring on my blog, done a feature for Let’s Travel Magazine (including why Lake Karapiro Lodge is where to stay if you want a luxury lodge in the Waikato) and mentioned it countless times on my Newstalk ZB radio shows. And with today’s Stuff article, it seems word’s getting out – click here to read: Putaruru Blue Spring – NZ’s best kept secret? 

It could well be a contender in the sense that the whole Waikato province is too often overlooked by Kiwis as a holiday destination. Which means the surprise they get when they find a place in the Waikato as uniquely beautiful as The Blue Spring is pretty massive. Subscribe to Let’s Travel Magazine to find out more and if you want somewhere flash to stay while exploring this part of the Waikato, you cannot do better than the Edwardian mansion that is Lake Karapiro Lodge. It’s also only a short drive from Hobbiton. And unlike Hobbiton, the Blue Spring is entirely free.

Lake Karapiro Lodge.