Blue Lake Tikitapu

Tikitapu and Rotokakahi sit side by side separated by a narrow ridge, and from the lookout on the road between them one reads blue and the other green - the difference comes from what is on the bottom, pumice and rhyolite under Tikitapu against a more mineral-rich bed in the other. Tikitapu is the one you can use: a sandy beach, a swimming area with a floating platform in summer, and a 5.5-kilometre track round the shore through redwoods and native bush, flat enough for families and rideable on a bike. Rotokakahi, the Green Lake, is privately owned by Tuhourangi and is tapu - no boats, no swimming, no access to the shore - and that restriction is why the two look different in another way too: one has a beach with people on it, the other has nothing. Water skiing and boats are allowed on Tikitapu in the marked area.

History

The name Tikitapu refers to a sacred greenstone necklace believed to have been lost by the daughter of a high-ranking chief as she bathed in the lake. Māori legend also tells of Kataore, a taniwha that lived in a cave by the lake (Wikipedia, Lake Tikitapu).

The landscape

• The colour contrast - blue Tikitapu beside green Rotokakahi.
• The loop track - 5.5 flat kilometres through redwood and native bush.
• The swimming beach - sand, shallow entry, platform in summer.
• The lookout - the viewpoint over both lakes from the road.

When to go

December to March for swimming; the loop is good year round. Weekday mornings are quiet; summer weekends fill the car park and the beach.

Things to know

The Green Lake next door is tapu and privately owned - no access to its shore or water, and that is respected locally. Tikitapu's water is cool even in summer. Boats and skiers share part of the lake.

Nearby

The redwood forest is west; Lake Tarawera and Te Wairoa are east.

Key facts