Located in a national park, Blue Lake holds the title of the cleanest lake in the world.
In 2011, the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) conducted scientific experiments and suggested that Blue is the most natural lake among the fresh water sources known to man.
According to NIWA research results, the view in the lake is over 80 meters away, which can be considered as “clear” Blue water as distilled water. This lake has a characteristic purple-green color that exists only in clear natural waters. Further testing showed that Blue Lake was also cleaner than most of the Earth’s seawater, except for some areas of the South Pacific around Tahiti and Easter Island.
As part of Lake Nelson National Park in the South Island, Blue Lake receives water from nearby Lake Constance thanks to an underground river system.
Blue Lake is located at an altitude of 1,200 meters above sea level, so the water in the lake is always cold 5-8 degrees C. For hundreds of years, Ngati Apa ki te Ra To – a native Maori ethnic group, considered it a in sacred lakes called Rotomairewhenua, or lakes of peaceful lands.
Traditionally, the Maori Aborigines used water in Blue Lake to wash the bones of the dead men of the tribe. Women’s bones were cleaned in the nearby Lake Constance. The ritual of sending souls to the afterlife is carried out on a journey from Blue Lake, along a sacred road, to Farewell headland. The last remains are buried in the Sabine Valley.
Kiley Nepia, cultural manager of the Māori people on the South Island, said he felt a spiritual connection to Lake Blue when he first came here. “I really understand why our ancestors chose that lake to perform the rituals. When you get there, you will feel really serene. Like the baptismal water, or the blessed water of a church, These are holy waters for the people of Ngati Apa ki te Ra To, “Nepia said.
Almost Blue Lake is not covered by trees.
The farthest view on the lake bed is 81.4 meters, and is stable at 70 – 80 m. Dr. Rob Davies-Colley, NIWA scientist, said: “I think there is not so much difference between the water of Blue Lake and pure water. And if anywhere there is clearer water, it can only in a little more “.
Why Blue Lake water is so clear is still a mystery. Water comes from Lake Constance through an underground river and flows from streams about 35 meters high from Lake Blue. However, Lake Constance at an altitude of 1,335 m is almost not so clear.
Therefore, the water flow between the two lakes must undergo natural filtration process underground. Scientists believe that water passed through ice gravel from the last ice age (about 12,000 years ago) and debris from landslides. These layers of matter act as a screen for particles and organic matter in water. Blue Lake also has a self-defense mechanism when it releases water every three days, meaning that any nutrients or pollution will be washed away.
Blue Lake may temporarily become cloudy when heavy rains wash away rock and soil into the lake bed, but after a few days the water is clear.
The number of visitors to Lake Blue has been increasing since 2011 when the NIWA study was published. In fact, it takes at least two days for visitors to Lake Blue to follow the 80-kilometer-long Travers-Sabine climbing route through the tranquil forest between 2,000 m high peaks. If you don’t want to walk, you can see Blue Lake from Reid Helicopters Nelson in the national park.
However, in 2013, a Danish environmentalist, Klaus Thymann, was granted a diving license by the Māori Aborigines, NIWA and the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
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