Lake Waikaremoana’s Great Walk combines incredible scenery with a rich cultural history.

Curving 46km around the North Island’s deepest lake, it is the only one of New Zealand’s Great Walks not operated by the Department of Conservation.

The lake was formed about 2200 years ago, when a massive landslide dammed a gorge on the Waikaretaheke River. The area is home to Ngāi Tūhoe, who have managed the track since a 2014 Treaty of Waitangi settlement.

Mud! Photo / Caitlin Burns

We set off the day after a cyclone had torn down the East Coast, and Lake Waikaremoana was living up to its name – “lake of rippling waters”.

The first day was a test of endurance – a five-hour uphill slog, by far the most challenging section of the walk but also the most beautiful, with breathtaking views leading up to Panekire Hut at roughly 1130m above sea level.

Panekire, a 36-bunk hut often described as the “worst” on the track because of its age and well-worn charm, proved anything but. As we stepped out of the closing cloud, we were met with the glow of a log fire and the warmth of warden Antz’s welcome.

Panekire Hut. Photo / Caitlin Burns

It was immediately clear how deeply Antz cares for this place. We listened as he performed a short pōwhiri (welcome) and shared stories of his work – maintaining the hut, trapping predators, clearing invasive plants and readying the track for the hundreds of manuhiri (visitors) who arrive each year.

After a surprisingly restful night alongside 20-something fellow Great Walkers, we descended the opposite side of the bluff, bypassing the next recommended hut and pushing on 22km to Marauiti Hut on the lake’s northwestern shore.

Mud! Photo / Caitlin Burns

On this stretch we discovered the cyclone had left a parting gift – mud. And plenty of it. Our planned seven-hour walk became nearly nine. With aching legs and empty stomachs, we reached Marauiti Hut and cooked dinner by headlamp.

Day three began with the luxury of a sleep-in and breakfast on the hut’s deck overlooking the lake. As we headed out around the lake’s northern edge, dense forest gave way to rocky shorelines and the soft sound of waves. Right on time, our pre-arranged water taxi arrived to carry us back across the lake to where our journey began.

Marauiti Hut. Photo / Caitlin Burns

We departed Lake Waikaremoana with sore legs, full hearts, and a deeper appreciation for the wildly beautiful Te Urewera region.

Bookings for the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk, and all other Great Walks, are now open for the 2025/2026 season.

Dense native forest. Photo / Caitlin Burns