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Lake Tikitapu

Lake Tikitapu holds a special place in the community’s heart, and is enjoyed year-round by locals and tourists for swimming, boating, water-skiing, jet-skiing, biking and fishing.

The small, circular lake is famous for its striking blue colour, a result of rhyolite and pumice on the lake bed. With a large reserve area boasting playground and barbeque facilities, toilets, parking, water slides and easy walking tracks, it’s easy to see why the ‘Blue Lake’ is one of Rotorua’s most popular natural destinations.

Framed by stunning native bush and sitting adjacent to the Green Lake (Lake Rotokakahi), Lake Tikitapu is great for trout fishing and is also a popular spot for triathlons and other sporting events.

Like Rotorua’s other lakes, Lake Tikitapu is steeped in Māori history. It’s believed the daughter of a high-born chief was bathing in the lake’s crystal waters and wore the tikitapu (sacred greenstone neck ornament). The piece dislodged itself while she swam, and the blue waters of the lake are believed to still be hiding the tikitapu.

The quality of Lake Tikitapu’s water is important to this community, as it contributes to a collective sense of pride, place, mana and culture. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Rotorua Lakes Council and Te Arawa Lakes Trust are working together to ensure strategic direction and coordinated planning for Lake Tikitapu and its future.