Doing the Lake Waikaremoana Track in 3 days

I have really wanted to do the Lake Waikaremoana Track since I moved to New Zealand. So many people have recommended it, so two friends and I decided to book it in and get tramping over the February public holiday. It was so awesome, so beautiful, so fun, and challenging but not too challenging. If you are thinking of going for it – you should – it’s stunning! To help you out, here is a wee blog about how we did the Lake Waikaremoana Track in 3 days and a few little tips and ideas for your planning.

It took quite a bit of research to decide whether we should do the track in two or three nights but all being pretty fit and healthy we decided to do the two-night/three day hike to save time. (My first tip = if I did it again, I would probably choose to do it in three nights/ four days just as this would have given me more time to chill and swim along the way)

Lake Waikaremoana is part of the Great Walk family and is in Te Urewera National Park, home and ancestor of the Tūhoe people and also the first natural feature to be recognized in New Zealand law as a legal entity in its own right. Te Urewera is now managed not by the Department of Conservation but by the new Te Urewera Board. This Board is responsible “to act on behalf of, and in the name of, Te Urewera” although you can still book the walk on the DOC website. The history and the spirituality of the place are so present as you walk around the lake and the helpful hut wardens can provide some history too.

Anyway – our itinerary; I will tell you what we did and let you know what I would have done differently as I go.

Doing The Lake Waikaremoana Track in 3 days / 2 nights

We stayed in Hawkes Bay the night before the hike just so that we could set off well-rested and bright and early in the morning – ready to take the day by storm.

Side note -we stayed in the most amazing Airbnb in Havelock which I have to recommend: HERE

Day 1 on Lake Waikaremoana Track

Onepoto Bay Carpark– to Panekire Hut

We drove to the start of the hike at the car park at Onepoto Bay and left our car here as we had organized for the water taxi back to this point at the end of our hike.

The first leg of the journey is very steep! This is definitely the hardest part of the hike and as it is the first part you do, it feels quite intense. Panekire hut sits at the top of the largest hill of the hike so was just up and up and more up for the first day. It is really beautiful though and you pass some amazing sights. I think it took took us about 3 hours in total and we set off around lunchtime.

Panekire Hut itself was incredibly busy and not a particularly great hut. It was wonderful to see the view from Panekire Bluff as we had a clear evening but my hot tip would be to carry on walking for another 2 hours on day one all the way down to Waiopaoa Hut at the bottom of the hill. Waiopaoa Hut was a lot nicer and newer and quieter and had a lovely little swimming bay and lawn to chill out on. We did meet some lovely people though!

Can you drink water on the Lake Waikaremoana Track? – short answer – yes we did. A lot of people had the water tablets just in case but I felt the water was fine to drink.

Day 2 on Lake Waikaremoana Track

Panekire Hut to Marauiti Hut

Day 2 was our biggest day as we had 20kms to cover (hot tip, if we had stayed at Waiopaoa Hut this day would have been a lot more manageable). So, we set off around 10 (should have set off earlier) on the long trek ahead. It was a spectacular walk and a great challenge but a very long day.

Halfway through the day there is a detour to the stunning Korokoro Falls where you can swim or just have a look at the amazing falls. This added about another 2 hours onto the day by the time we had walked there and changed and swam but was so worth it and I would more than recommend doing it if you can. You can stand right under the waterfall and after a long day of tramping – jumping in the cold water is just magical.

By the end of the day, we were so so ready to see Marauti Hut! This hut was very pleasant, a smaller and more classic DOC hut that was pretty cosy with the lake right there to jump in. Just beware of the many sandflies!

Day 3 of Lake Waikaremoana Track

Marauiti Hut to Water Taxi (from Whananui Hut landing)

We set off early on day 3 as we wanted to ensure we were there in time for the water taxi and wouldn’t miss it. I had a massive blister on my heel but just ignored it! The last day of the track was a nice rolling flat with a couple of moderate hills and really manageable and pleasant.

When I had phoned up Te Urewera Visitor Centre to book the water taxi they had let me know that it would be picking us up at Whanganui Hut rather than the very end of the map at Hopuruahine Landing. It ended up picking us up a little earlier than anticipated and most of those waiting were taken back to the start at 1pm instead of the booked 2:30 one which was nice as we were all so early.

The only rain we had the whole time was on the taxi on the way back, so all in all a success.

Book your water taxi by calling the Te Urewera Visitor Centre (Te Kura Whenua) and do this early to make sure you get the spot you want.

This hike is a MUST DO I think it may have been one of the best I’ve done in New Zealand.

Head online to secure your bookings for huts and campsites through the Lake Waikaremoana DOC website. Some of the huts can get busy so it’s a good idea to book in advance.

I hope this post was helpful!

Enjoy your tramp 🙂