Lake Waikaremoana Track

Walk Overview

This walk is one of New Zealand’s nine “Great Walks” as designated by the New Zealand Government’s Department of Conservation (DOC). It is one of only three Great Walks on the North Island (and one of those is actually a canoeing trip). It’s special because it takes you deep into a remote, untouched wilderness area embellished by ancient rainforest, creeks, waterfalls and a massive lake that must rank with the most beautiful on the planet.

The walk is 46 km in length and generally follows the shoreline of Lake Waikaremoana. It covers about two-thirds of the lake’s shoreline, so is a point to point walk. It can be tackled in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. The book ends are Hopuruahine Landing and Onepoto Bay.

The track is well-formed and easy to follow. While close to the lake, the track does not involve significant ascents or descents, but a 17 km stretch towards the end of the walk (if doing it in an anti-clockwise direction) involves climbing the Panekiri Bluffs with a height gain of some 600 metres, a spectacular ridge walk then a descent of a similar meterage.

There are a number of Department of Conservation huts and campsites along the walk route, allowing for flexibility in walk planning and longer or shorter visits. In addition, a water taxi operates on the lake and that can be used to drop in or drop out at different points or for provisions and gear to be delivered. Huts need to be booked and are busy from Christmas to the end of January.

Further information:

• A four day itinerary is described below.

• For more information on walking in the Te Urewera region, click the button below.

Itinerary

The walk takes 4 days to complete. An itinerary completing the entire track is shown below.

Day 1

Hopuruahine Landing to Waiharuru Hut

Distance: 10.5km

Time: 4 hours

Accommodation or Camping: Both available

Day 2

Waiharuru Hut to Waiopaoa Hut

Distance: 18.3km

Time: 6-8 hours

Accommodation or Camping: Both available

Day 3

Waiopaoa Hut to Panekire Hut

Distance: 7.6km

Time: 4-5 hours

Accommodation or Camping: Both available

Walk Options

Guided

Several tour operators offer all or part of this walk as a guided trip. You can choose to do the entire 46 km walk or opt for shorter versions staying at a lodge.

The tour operators that offer the full walk generally follow the four day walking itinerary described above.

For the full walk, the tour operators use the DOC huts. For the shorter versions, an older style lodge with a picturesque location right on Lake Waikaremoana is used for accommodation. 

Some tour operators offer additional activities or attractions such as a visit to a local marae (Maori meeting house), a natural hot spring swim, trout fishing, tour photo album and Lake Waikaremoana Track completion certificate.

Typically, the package offered by these operators include:

• Transfers to and from Rotorua

• 4 day tour with professional guides

• 3 nights accommodation

• All meals

• Hiking equipment

• Entrance fees

Assisted self-guided

We are not currently aware of tour operators offering self-guided services for the Lake Waikaremoana Track, although the water taxi service does enable some assistance with luggage transfer along the route.

Independent

Independent walkers have the choice of camping or using the DOC public huts. Regardless of your choice and no matter what time of the year you do the walk, you will need to book a hut or campsite for each night on the track ahead of starting.

If you are doing the walk between Christmas and the end of January, you will need to book the DOC huts a long way ahead; they book up very quickly. Note that the guided walk tours often have availability after the public spaces in the huts are fully taken.

The distribution of the huts and campsites has been planned to allow flexibility in trip planning and for the walk to be done at a more or less leisurely pace.

The standard of the DOC huts varies. All have bunks, mattresses, a water supply, sinks, toilets, hand-washing facilities and wood stove heating. Waiharuru Hut (night 1 on the above itinerary) is the largest and most comfortable of the huts, Waiopaoa Hut (night 2 on the above itinerary) is the most picturesque with its lawn down to the lake beach and Panekire Hut (night 3 on the above itinerary) has the best views from atop the Panekiri Bluffs.

Essential Information

Access

The starting point for the Lake Waikaremoana Track is either Hopuruahine Landing (if doing the walk anti-clockwise) and Onepoto Bay (if doing the walk clockwise). Driving time from each of Rotorua and Lake Taupo is about three hours. 

There are no public transport facilities directly to the track.

There are private transport operators who can provide transport to and from the track for individuals and groups. The guided tour operators all provide access to the track as part of their package.

Park entry

No entry permit is needed for access to Te Urewera but tickets must be obtained for use of the DOC huts and campsites. Tickets can be bought online and printed yourself or collected from the Waikaremoana Visitor Centre at the Waikaremoana Holiday Park at Waikaremoana.

Best time

The Lake Waikaremoana Track can be done all year round, but the best time to do the walk is October through to May. This is because there is less chance of the track being weather affected during that period. Given that large sections of the track are close to the lake shoreline, flooding can damage the track or make it difficult to negotiate. 

Difficulty

This walk is rated by the DOC as “Intermediate: Great Walk/Easier tramping track”.

Accommodation

There are a couple of accommodation options at Waikaremoana at the far eastern end of Lake Waikaremoana and near to the Onepoto Bay end of the track. Accommodation options are camping, caravan park cabins/chalets/flats and simple lodge rooms.

We can assist walkers in choosing the accommodation options which best suit their needs.

Other activities

The Te Urewera region offers many activities and attractions in addition to the Lake Waikaremoana Track. Many walkers choose to add extra days to their trip so that they can experience them. As well as other excellent walks, the area is popular for fishing, boating and kayaking.

Assistance

We can assist walkers with various aspects of their walking holidays.