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lake waikaremoana
track
 Visit the most beautiful lake in
the North Island and see it sparkle like a gemstone amidst the
mystical forests of the Urewera National Park.
Lake Waikaremoana, ‘The Sea of Rippling Waters’, lies
under the precipitous bluffs of the Panekiri Range and the
mist-shrouded forest of the Huiarau Range - home of the Tuhoe
people, ‘The Children of the Mist’.
Travelling the 226 km from Rotorua to Waikaremoana on State
Highway 38 is like a journey back in time. On the way you pass
isolated pockets of pasture, traditional Tuhoe farming
settlements, maraes (meeting houses), and horses wandering along
the road. The drive ends at the Aniwaniwa visitor centre, where
hut and campsite tickets can be purchased.
 The 46 km Lake Waikaremoana Track hugs the western shoreline and
takes 3 to 4 days to complete. It can be walked in either
direction at any time of the year. Most people start at Onepoto
with the strenuous 5 hour climb above Panekiri Bluffs, and are
rewarded by stunning views over the entire lake. Beyond Panekiri
hut there are 4 other huts; Waiopaoa, Marauiti, Waiharuru and
Whanganui. In addition there are 5 designated campsites set in
idyllic surroundings. From Day 2 to Day 4 the going is moderately
easy with only 2 to 3 hours tramping between huts. Water taxis
and bus shuttles connect you with each end of the track and
operate from a base at the holiday park shop and boat ramp.
Portions of the track can be enjoyed as a day trip by using the
water taxi.
The forest, lake and mountain scenery is breathtaking. At dawn,
eerie mists creep over the still, silent lake, and the
moss-draped forest has a mysterious, primeval feel, evocative of
the way early New Zealand must have been. The water in isolated
inlets is so clear that you often see rainbow trout hovering
under sunken tree trunks.
Lake Waikaremoana is one of New Zealand’s national treasures
- a timeless and unspoiled universe, where tramping, fishing and
swimming around its shoreline can be enjoyed by all.
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