The most breathtaking place on earth where people are banned from even touching the water

There is an absolutely stunning part of the world located in New Zealand which astonishes the people who come across it.

While the world is host to many splendid breathtaking locales there seem to be plenty located in that wondrous country that is New Zealand.

There's a reason they decided to film Lord of the Rings there, and it's not because the place is full of orcs who decided they'd like to give acting a go.

If you're ever fortunate enough to be around New Zealand's southern island then there's a place you really ought to see.

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On the northern coast of New Zealand's South Island is the natural beauty that is the Te Waikoropupū Springs.

It's the site of the clearest fresh water in the world, with the glorious reserve of H2O spending up to 10 years being filtered through the rocks before springing up.

The water is so clear that visitors can peer into the pools of water formed by the springs and see the vivid underwater landscape that has formed beneath the surface with startling clarity.

It's also the coldest known water springs south of the Equator, with the pools formed by the water at temperatures of around 11C so if you fancied a dip you'd come out shivering.

However, if you did fancy a go in the water then no matter how much you might want to give it a try you wouldn't be able to.

That's because at Te Waikoropupū Springs there's a very clear rule which you must follow: No touching the water.

Sanka Vidanagama/NurPhoto via Getty Images

This isn't where we announce to you that the springs are as deadly as they are beautiful and that this breathtakingly clear water is secretly poisonous on contact with human skin.

No, it's because the springs have an incredible spiritual significance to the Ngāti Tama, a local Māori tribe.

As such touching the water in any way has been forbidden ever since 2007, so that means no swimming, diving, wading, fishing, boating or drinking.

You can come and look at the stunningly clear pools of fresh water but actually making contact with them would be strictly forbidden and a violation of a cultural taboo.

While you're not allowed to touch the water in any way you can still get plenty of enjoyment out of the incredible springs as visitors are able to have a good look at this stunning natural feature which has been preserved from human contact.

Topics: Travel, World News

Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

@MrJoeHarker