IN national park Nelson Lakes is the most clear body of water in the world. This " Blue Lake"(Blue Lake), which the Maori call Rotomairewhenua. The New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) conducted a scientific experiment here in 2011, which showed that the Blue Lake is the most transparent natural body of water in the world. known to man. According to studies, visibility in the lake reaches up to 80 meters - which means that it is as “optically transparent” as distilled water.

The waters of nearby Lake Constance pass through rocks, which serve as a natural filter, and feed the Blue Lake, which is characterized by blue-violet hues. The water temperature in it ranges from 5 to 8°C.

The indigenous people of New Zealand - the Maori - consider Blue Lake sacred, so no one is allowed to enter it. In early 2013, Danish photojournalist and environmentalist Klaus Thymann received special permission to photograph the site from Māori, NIWA and the New Zealand Department of Conservation environment. It is his photographs that you see here.

The distant country of New Zealand attracts tourists with its amazing history. There's a lot here natural monuments, preserved in its original form. And Blue Lake is considered such an example.

This freshwater lake is located in the northern part of the country, in Nelson National Park. On our planet, New Zealand's Blue Lake is the most extraordinary. The water here is cold all year round, as glaciers are very close. They allow the lake to maintain its water level. The water in the lake changes its hue depending on the time of year, and the lower the air temperature, the bluer the lake. IN summer period The lake takes on a purple hue.

There are numerous platforms on the shore from which tourists admire the beautiful scenery. And they see a wonderful view of the Blue Lake, which is surrounded by majestic rocks and unique trees. Not long ago it was discovered that it has extremely pure water. It originates from the waters of the underground Lake Constance, where almost all particles that are suspended in the water are filtered out by the soil.

After heavy rainfalls, the water in the lake becomes cloudy. But after a day the water is completely renewed. Depth visibility is eighty meters. From the surface of the lake you can view the inhabitants of the reservoir at a depth of up to eighty meters without intruding into their world. Diving and swimming are not allowed in the lake.

The lake is fed by glacier waters in the Southern Alps. The lake is located at an altitude of over a thousand meters above sea level. The water temperature in the lake is very cold, it does not exceed five to eight degrees Celsius.

The Maori tribes consider this lake sacred. They hold a ceremony on the lake for the dead people. The Maoris believe that the purified souls of the dead can travel to Hawaiki. Maori tribes believe that the souls of the dead will return to their homeland after death.

How to relax here

During the hot daytime, tourists love to be near the cool, refreshing surface of the Blue Lake. Here on the shore of the lake there are restaurants offering tourists to taste Mediterranean or Italian cuisine.

In New Zealand, great attention is paid to the environment. Scientists have noted that this amazingly beautiful country is also the cleanest on the planet. It comes as no surprise that New Zealand's Blue Lake is located in this country. I can’t believe that in our time you can come across a piece of land with pristine, stunning nature.

New Zealand is famous for its natural attractions, many pristine places and unique climate. One of the most popular and picturesque tourist routes runs past two unusual lakes– Pukaki and Tekalo – which are separated by a mountain range and amaze eyewitnesses with heavenly-colored water. It seems that these are not lakes at all, but real pools!

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Our review will be dedicated to one of these amazing bodies of water, namely Lake Pukaki. The lake is located in the most beautiful corner of the South Island, which is part of New Zealand.

Azure Pond is one of three lakes that are located high in the mountains, south of the Mackenzie Basin. The hero of our review belongs to lakes of glacial origin, and the water level is maintained thanks to the flow of water that comes down from the mountains during the melting of glaciers. Perhaps this is why the lake has such an unusual sky-turquoise hue. The area is almost 178 square meters. km, and the altitude above sea level exceeds 500 meters!

In addition to glaciers, the Tasman River, which connects with it in the northern part, is responsible for replenishing the reservoir with fresh water. But from south coast Another river with the same name originates.

Since New Zealand has always strived to use the potential of nature for peaceful purposes, the government of the country has not ignored our reservoir. For several decades, Pukaki has been an important part of the island's hydroelectric power system, and water from it flows through specially created canals directly to the Ohau A hydroelectric station. It is thanks to the lake that the local population can enjoy the delights of civilization and use electricity.

By the way, the New Zealand estuary was not always so large-scale. Up until the 1940s maximum depth the lake did not exceed 20-25 meters. Since there was an urgent need to increase the capacity of water, work was carried out to deepen the reservoir, first by 9 meters, and later by almost 40 more. This is what caused the flooding of a small area of ​​​​land, which was located in the middle of the water surface.

Unusual and interesting facts about the lake

The water temperature in Pukaki almost never rises above 7 degrees. It’s easy to guess that this is facilitated in every possible way by the glaciers that feed it.

If you believe the results of the research, the approximate age of the lake is at least 16 thousand years. Just imagine that since that distant time, practically nothing has changed here. After all human factor had virtually no impact on pristine nature.

Another interesting fact connected to a local power plant that converts lake water into electrical energy. It turns out that the installation has an impressive power that reaches 105 megawatts. As mentioned earlier, water enters the station through a special canal, which is laid from the river of the same name.

But regarding the true name and its origin, controversy continues to this day. If you believe local legend, That unusual name The reservoir owes its name to its discoverer, Raikaikhait. And translated from the local dialect, Pukaki means something like “Bound Water.”

According to another legend, the lake was named after the great warrior, and later the leader of the Maori tribe that once lived in these parts. If you believe the legend, then for many years the local lands were simply drowned in rivers of blood that were shed by warring tribes. In order for peace to finally reign in these parts, the leaders of the warring tribes decided to bind both clans with the strongest ties - the bonds of marriage. When a boy was born into the family of young descendants of the leaders, he was named Pukaki, and from that moment on there was no more strife between the tribes.

As the years passed, Pukaki became more and more courageous, became a true leader and lived up to the hopes of the great Maori people. He is considered the greatest peacemaker in New Zealand history. And that is why in 1990 it was decided to immortalize the warrior on a 20-cent coin. Today you can find such a coin in any souvenir shop. And don’t pass by, because the great warrior is depicted on the coin not with a spear, but in the form of a well-fed boy frozen in a yoga pose.

If you watched the recently released film about the continuation of the adventures of the well-known Hobbit, then the Misty Mountains, which are shown in the film, were copied from the local landscapes. Dragons lived in them. Who knows, maybe real mountains were once the abode of huge creatures that spewed fire from their mouths and could fly?

Getting to know the lake

As soon as you find yourself alone with the wonderful landscapes of sky-blue waters, which are carefully hidden from human eyes by huge mountains, you understand how magnificent a creator nature can be. Like a huge stone scarf, the mountains encircle the marvelous estuary, complementing the already unique image with their snow-white caps. Indeed, can the best “Photoshop” reflect such a rich spectrum of colors? Can the highest quality lens convey the spirit of these places? Of course not!

The lake is located in a kind of dead end and far from settlements. To get to the nearest town you will have to travel more than 9 km along winding paths and roads that are not always covered with asphalt.

The best observation deck allowing you to see all the delights paradise, is considered Mount Cook, which is equipped with an information center. The view that opens from here can be the envy of not only mortals, but also the Gods!

You can get to the lake by rented car. As a rule, excursion buses, especially, public transport, not here. And so that the road does not seem so difficult and you do not get lost among the rocks, it is better to stock up on a map in advance and set up a navigator in your car.

Two more articles about New Zealand: Bridge to Nowhere and Waitomo Firefly Cave - read on our website.

New Zealand's Tongariro National Park is located Emerald Lake Sa Morakot. It is famous for the extraordinary color of its water, changing depending on the lighting and time of day from pale blue to emerald green.

Thanks to underground hot springs, the lake water is highly mineralized and very warm. The reason for Sa Morakot's unusual color is the high concentration of minerals in the water.

From highways Emerald Lake located at some distance. You can get to it on foot, passing through a one and a half kilometer clearing or along a path. This road is much longer, but very picturesque and much more interesting than the first. It leads through mangroves and tropical rainforest.

Emerald Lake It has the shape of a lens, which is why it seems quite shallow, despite its three-meter depth. Its size is no more than ten meters in diameter. The reservoir is formed by underground springs, bringing from the depths of the earth many minerals containing copper sulfate. This explains the blue tint at the bottom of the lake. If you look closely, you can see the springs that feed Sa Morakot in the clear water. The water of the sources is warmer than the temperature at the surface of the reservoir. For this reason, an interesting effect is created, as if in hot weather from asphalt heated up during the day.

Emerald Lake- a real miracle of nature. The place is so peaceful that it is a pleasure to just sit there, listen to the sounds of the forest and admire the beauty of the lake.

Blue Lake, in Nelson Lakes National Park on New Zealand's North Island, is considered the cleanest lake on Earth. According to measurements, underwater visibility in the reservoir ranges from 73 to 80 meters!

It’s wonderful, but only specialists can see it from the inside. Everyone else, with a certain persistence, can admire the Blue Lake only from the outside - swimming is prohibited here, since the local indigenous population from the Maori tribe considers the reservoir sacred.

The original name sounds like Rotomairewhenua, translated as “lake of peaceful lands” and makes you think very much, since the Maori have always been a warlike people, and let’s keep silent about cannibalism.

• By the way, the crystal clearness of the reservoir is explained simply. The lake is filled with water from the neighboring much larger Lake Constance (not to be confused with the German Lake Constance))), and before getting where it needs to go, it passes through a mountain range, clearing itself of impurities and suspended matter.

Relatively close (even further north) is another famous landmark of New Zealand, the volcanic lake Rotorua, which occupies the crater of an ancient volcano.

As is known, due to its remoteness and unlittered beauty, it is now considered one of the exclusive tourist destinations and is popular with wealthy or established travelers. It’s not expensive, but it’s so beautiful!