Te Waikoropupu Springs, Te Waikoropupu Springs

Te Waikoropupu Springs are a taonga (treasure) and waahi tapu (a sacred place) for Maori, both locally and nationally. The legends of Te Waikoropupu are told in the stories of Huriawa, its taniwha (guardian spirit). In Maori tradition the springs are waiora, (the purest form of water) which is the wairua (spiritual) and the physical source of life. The Springs provide water for healing, and in the past were a place of ceremonial blessings at times of birth and death and the leaving and returning of travelers.