On my initial preparations for my New Zealand trip, I discarded the Kahurangi National Park TWHS early on as being “too difficult and too far away”. What made it on my itinerary was a short detour to the Te Waikoropupū Springs (a.k.a. Pupu Springs), located about an hour northwest of Abel Tasman National Park. The day before visiting, I suddenly found out, however, that these Springs are actually mentioned in Kahurangi’s TWHS description. And that they were meant to be a part of a future nomination is confirmed by this case study.

Above, I wrote “an hour northwest of Abel Tasman NP” – but there’s a nasty mountain pass in between the two. It twists and turns, and on both ways I had to stop for 20 minutes as they closed the road for repairs. Despite the effort to get to the Pupu Springs, they are a popular sight. There were at least 20 cars/campers present in the parking lot when I arrived. Statistics come up with some 50,000 visitors yearly.

These Springs are special because they are the largest cold-water springs in the Southern Hemisphere, and also due to their exceptionally high water quality. It is also a sacred place for the Maori. One visits via a boardwalk trail of one km, which passes several very clear springs and from where you can watch the water flowing by rapidly. The water comes from underneath the region’s karst formations, where rainwater is held for up to 10 years before it flows out here.

Overall, it’s a nice short stop of half an hour while you are on a road trip, but nothing grand enough to justify WH status on its own. More substantial views of this area can be had at Kahurangi National Park itself (a wilderness with tough hikes), or at Farewell Spit Nature Reserve. The latter I would have liked to have visited if I had more time: you can realistically get to it only by boat, on a day trip from Collingwood.