Tikitapu - Blue Lake

At the northern end of Tikitapu there is a sandy beach with a playground. Across the road is a camping ground.

A collapsed volcanic crater is the origin of the lake, and it's colour is of volcanic too. Because it is relatively shallow, and the bottom is pumice and rhyolite it reflects the sky especially on fine days. On grey days the lake is not very blue.

Tikitapu is open to the public for water based activities and is often considered the most attractive of it's siblings, the others being Green Lake - Rotokakahi, Okareka and Okataina.

The most popular activity is a short jog or walk around the 5.5km track that circumnavigates the track, which might take either side of an hour depending upon the speed. Tricks for newbies to look out for here would be that this interesting lake has no river flowing out, so is closed. If it rains a lot, the track becomes impassable in places. There is a sneaky exit towards the Green Lake via some steps. Green Lake is private and may not be accessed, but can be viewed from the track.

Image Credit: Koon Chakhatrakan