Deep water
Among forests.
Michal Klajban — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michal Klajban — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michal Klajban — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michal Klajban — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michal Klajban — CC BY-SA 4.0
Lake Waikaremoana lies in Te Urewera on New Zealand's North Island, about 39 km in a straight line north-west of the town of Wairoa and about 80 km west-south-west of Gisborne. It covers about 54 square kilometres, and its Māori name means «sea of rippling waters». The lake lies within the tribal lands of Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Ruapani and Ngāti Kahungunu. The hamlet of Aniwaniwa and the Waikaremoana Holiday Park stand on its shore, State Highway 38 links it with Rotorua and Gisborne, and several walks start here, including a short stroll to the Aniwaniwa Falls and the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk around the lake. Deep blue water stretches between hills and mountains covered in dense native forest, the Panekiri Bluff drops to the water on one side, and small bays and stony beaches line its shores. Low cloud often hangs over the hills in the morning, and many native birds live in the forest. Visiting is free, but the lake is remote, the road there is long and partly gravel and winding, and services are few. Book the Great Walk huts ahead if you plan to walk around the lake, and respect the land as home to its people.
Among forests.
Above the lake.
A short walk.
Te Urewera, North Island, New Zealand
Long, partly gravel and winding.
Yes, for the Great Walk huts.