Lake Tikitapu, also known as Blue Lake. It's colour comes from the pumice and phyolite on the lake bed. The lake is one of the smallest in the Rotorua region with a surface area of 1.4 km. Subsurface flow drains towards Lake Tarawera and there are no visible outlets. Facilities include picnic area with bbq's, playground and public toilets.

The Whakarewarewa Forest is adjacent to the beach. In 1886 the forrest was destroyed when Mt. Tarwawera erupted. In 1901 the New Zealand government began replanting native and imported species to in an effort to rebuild the forrest. California Redwoods (the tallest living species) were one of the species planted, and they have held higher growth rates here than in their native habitat. The area surrounding the lake provides some of the best walking and trail running routes in New Zealand.

Tikitapu's name comes from a M?ori tale. A daughter of a chief lost her pounamu (greenstone) hei-tiki (sacred pendant) while swimming in the lake. The necklace was an heirloom of Tiki (the first man) and was tapu (sacred) to her tribe. The blue waters became a sacred home to the tiki pendant that was lost here.

The description above was copied from or heavily based on Swim Guide, with permission.

More Information

• Swim Guide - Weather and water quality for Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake) and 8,000 other beaches.