Wanderyn
Blue Pools Track
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
poi · NZ

Blue Pools Track

Getting around: About 45 minutes' drive from Wanaka on the Haast Pass road (State Highway 6). There's a car park with a short walking track to the pools.
Hours: Open access during daylight hours.

The Blue Pools Track is a short walk through beech forest to a swing bridge over the Makarora River, where a tributary stream forms strikingly clear, blue-tinted pools fed by glacial melt. It's a popular, easy stop on the drive between Wanaka and the West Coast over Haast Pass.

The water's clarity and colour are the whole draw here, and on a sunny day the blue is genuinely vivid — it's a quick stop (about 30-40 minutes return) rather than a lengthy hike.

Blue Pools Track FAQs

How long is the walk?

About 30-40 minutes return on an easy, well-formed track.

Can I swim in the pools?

Swimming is possible for the hardy, though the water is very cold given its glacial origin, and it's not the main purpose of most visits.

Why are the pools so blue?

Fine glacial sediment suspended in the water scatters light in a way that produces the vivid blue colour, especially visible in good light.

Is it free?

Yes, there's no entry fee.

Is it on the way to the West Coast?

Yes, it's a natural stop on the Haast Pass road between Wanaka and the West Coast.

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