05/05/2018 - The purest water sources of New Zealand

After it stayed dry yesterday, it poured down today. The decision to rent a kayak for the day was thus taken away from us. We didn't stay in Marahau any longer and continued our road trip.

The so-called Riwaka River springs below the Takaka Hills. This has great significance for the Maori. Legends say that once a chief came here and healed his wounds with the help of the clear water after a long and exhausting journey back from Antarctica.

At the start of the hike, we passed through a wooden-carved traditional gate, which always indicates that it is Maori territory and/or a sacred place. Curiously, we walked along the path. Short glimpses of the clear water opened up between the trees. When we reached the end of the hike, we stood in front of a tall stone wall with a hole in it. To the left, a staircase led down to the water. In front of us was a crystal-clear pool. Several information panels described how the Takaka Hill stores rainwater, transports it through a cave system consisting of thousands of water veins, and reaches the foot of the mountain after 24 hours. This is where the Riwaka River finally springs. Amazing. We have never seen anything like it before. It had something spiritual and magical that is hard to describe. The whole setting was so fitting. The vibrant green of the many plants and moss-covered stones on the riverbank, the impressive stone wall, and of course the clear water. Spontaneously, we filled our water bottle with the pure water.
After the dreamy start to the day, we continued over the Takaka Hill. This section of the route was also damaged by a severe storm. Once again, we had to wait before the red traffic light. After an estimated seven minutes, it turned green and the one-lane road led up to the top of the mountain. We steered towards the next parking lot on site. At Hawkes Lookout, we enjoyed the view, which stretched all the way to Motueka. We got a sense of how many orchards are located around the coastal town.
Then we drove to Takaka. This meant driving down the mountain that we had just successfully climbed.

Takaka is notorious as the "Hippie Capital" of New Zealand. Not only do the people living there suggest it, but also the many small shops and cafes.

Since we will pass through the town again on our way back, we only made a short stop at the supermarket today to stock up on groceries for the coming days. In the entrance area, high school students were selling coffee and cake. The baked goods looked great, so we bought two pieces of carrot cake from them and thus supported their graduation ball. :)
Before heading to the new campsite, there was one last item on the agenda. The "Pupu Springs" turned out to be a highlight of our trip. If you follow the beautifully laid out hiking trail, you will find yourself in front of a large "lake" after about 20 minutes. At this place, 14,000 (!) liters of water gush out of the ground per second. This is an unimaginable amount - even when you are standing in front of it. Although you could see a wave movement and air bubbles reaching the surface, you don't believe that so much water shoots out of the ground. The only indication that incredible amounts of water gush out of the ground here is the raging river that springs up in the background. Once again, we were amazed by the clarity of the water. The spring is rightly counted among the purest waters in the world! According to information panels, you can see 70 meters underwater - almost equal to the range of distilled water. From the visitor's platform, the aquatic plants and stones on the bottom were clearly visible.

The Waikoropupu Springs are of great importance to the Maori. They are considered "Wahi Tapu" - a sacred place. Touching the water alone is strictly prohibited!
Legends tell that one of the most important "Taniwha" (= a Maori mythical creature) slumbers in the Pupu Springs. The female Taniwha "Huriawa" takes care of all the bodies of water in the country. If she is not on a journey, she lives in these springs.

After endless staring and full of fascination, we continued along the track. We left the main source and soon reached another, smaller spring. The "Dancing Sands Springs" emerge in much shallower water. The surging of water and the resulting bubbles made the sand dance.
With many new impressions, we arrived in Collingwood early in the evening. Of course, on this water-themed day, the camping spot for today was right by the sea. For a short time, we enjoyed the view before starting preparations for dinner. While cooking, we had nice conversations with various locals. When the hiker said goodbye, we were left with a free spirit. He told us how much he loves fishing and presented us with his freshly caught fish that he had already marinated. Now we simply call him Manny, as we don't know his real name, and he gave us insider tips for the region that we absolutely had to follow. But it truly got exciting when another German backpacker couple joined us. After we conversed for a while in German, the interest arose in how good Manny's German is. A heated but peaceful conversation quickly developed. Together, we philosophized about life. Manny gave us personal insights into his views and definition of happiness. He has never left New Zealand in his entire life and probably never will. He loves the simple life on the island and doesn't miss anything. Other topics of conversation included dependence on smartphones, the development of consumer behavior, children and technology, and so on... As time went on, the conversation took a twisted turn - now it revolved around "Magic Mushrooms" and their effects. As entertaining and funny as it was, we would have gladly escaped back to the car. The only reason we couldn't was the fact that we had lent our pan to Manny. He was both finished and not finished with cooking; our German acquaintances had already successfully retreated and we continued to endure. Eventually, it was accomplished, and the group disbanded.