Walk of the Waikaremoana

- Waipaoa Hut beach access -

The experience began as soon as we started mentioning the idea of doing it. Every single bit meant a whole lot to us being our first multi-day tramp ever. Apart from the weather being on our side It was definitely well planned and executed as rookies. The starting point of our journey was Rosie's Bay campsite where we prepped and got ready for the tramp. The campsite was so private (just another camper apart from us) and the view from where we had parked Rumbles was spectacular; Lake Waikaremoana was our backyard!

- Rumbles at Rosie's Bay Campsite -

New Zealand is well known for its beautiful landscape hence the number of bush walks and tramps around, but only TEN out of the thousands are currently classified as 'Great Walk' and Lake Waikaremoana is one of them. Our walk started in Onepoto and ended in Wanganui with a total of 42km done over four days and three nights with a moderate difficulty.

A little bit about Lake Waikaremoana. The lake is located in Te Urewera National Park about 80km southwest of Gisborne. It was formed 2200 years ago when a massive landslide, that was 250m high, covered a section of the river valley creating a natural dam. The lake covers 54 sqkm and has a max depth of 256m. The area around the lake is an untouched rainforest that sits 600m above sea level and is host to many native bird species that are not easily found elsewhere on the north island. The track was initially built from 1962 - 1972 by teams of high school boys, I don't think you'd be able to convince them to do that nowadays.

Day 1: Onepoto to Panekire Hut 9km - 4 hours (DOC suggested 5 hours)

With our bags weighing 22kg and 16kg each to start we began our climb up to the Panekiri Hut. So glad that the weather was nice and cool which helped us work our way up the 500m change in elevation. Nice and steady though our body was probably in shock as we haven't done any uphill walks with our packs in a while. So relieved when we saw the hut and was actually kind of surprised that we did it less than what Doc had suggested for that stretch. Since we had the rest of the day to ourselves Steve suggested to a few people for us to go walk up to the bluff where we would get the 360 view of the lake (a must-do). Only to find out that it meant we would have to backtrack half way to get to it! (yup we all missed it coming up!!!) By that point we were already too lazy to do it and just gave up and sat and enjoyed the view from the hut instead. Were so chilled we barely took any photos from the hut where the view of the lake was amazing since we had the clear day. The mist came later on in the day and it did give the whole hut such an eerie vibe and by the end of the night and the next morning all we could see was just the thick mist.

- Lake view from Panekire Hut -

Tip: Always pack a multitool with you (Steve does). Never know when it will be needed. The tap for the water tank was broken and the only way to get water is with the multitool! Cant imagine having no water on day one of the tramp.

Day 2: Panekire Hut to Korokoro Campsite 12km - 3.3 hours

We packed up our bags made a good breakfast of egg and avocado wraps with some tea and coffee and headed out into the misty forest. The weather had made a sudden change and the beautiful distant views were replaced by a shroud of fog and mist. It created an eerie setting but one that was worthwhile. The local iwi would not be known as 'Children of the Mist" if the Lake was always sunny. After hiking up the bluff the day before, it was now the time to make our way down to the lakeside. The sign said it was 4 hours to the Waipaoa hut and after a steady hike down many stairs we reached the hut and to our surprise it only took 2.5 hours. We made a nice lunch of tuna wraps and saved them for our arrival to the campsite. The arrival to Korokoro campsite took only 50 mins and we had the whole place to ourselves. We set our tent, had some lunch and set off to find the Korokoro Waterfall. The waterfall was a picturesque scene and had a nice pool to swim in and clean off after a few days of hiking. Without hesitation we plunged into the pool and as quick as we were in, we were out. The pool was freezing cold and within moments you could feel the burning sensation of the cold on you skin and muscles, it was painfully refreshing. After a delicious dinner we were exhausted and headed to bed only to be awoken by the family of possums that shared the campsite. Turns out the little guys are not afraid of people at all and scavenged the campsite digging in the grass and playing in the bushes.

- Korokoro waterfall -

Day 3: Korokoro Campsite to Waiharuru Campsite 15km - 4.5 hours

Waking up in the tent had us feeling a bit more fatigued than the night before in Panekire hut, I guess sleeping only on yoga mats is not the best for your bones. The morning was foggy and we knew that the weather later on would turn to strong wind and rain. We packed our tent and bags, prepared ourselves for the day with a hearty breakfast and headed towards our next destination. The trail was now fully along the lake and allowed us to continually see the beautiful views of the fog and mist resting on Panekire bluff, which we now on the opposing shoreline of. As the trail snaked along the coastline we were able to see a variety of marshes, bogs, streams, and grasslands that were pocketed amongst the forest landscape. The walk was fairly flat but the level of fatigue was starting to show. After a few hours the thought of resting was growing but we had set a goal not to stop for lunch until we reached Maruiti Hut and after 3 hours it was wonderful relief. The weather was gloomy and indecisive as to whether it would fully rain or continue to drizzle. We made it to the campsite set our tent and not a moment too soon as it had decided to start raining, what luck! We were chilled from the wind and rain and thought that we deserved to warm ourselves up with some mushroom soup before dinner and when we finished eating our large portion of tuna couscous we were happily off to bed. What a day!

Day 4: Waiharuru Campsite to Wanganui Hut 6km - 1.75 hours

We were up and about by 5.15am as we were planning to leave as soon as we were done with breakfast and packing up our stuffs including the tent! Glad we apologised to the other campers in advance as we were definitely not the quietest when we tried shaking off the wet tent and rolling them up to be put into the bag. Still managed to be out of the campsite in time which was good as DOC had said the walk would take 2.75 hours and our boat was at 9.30am and we had plans to have a bowl of hot miso to warm ourselves up before we boarded the boat. The boat ride back gave us such mixed feelings as we felt so happy that we have completed the track but the weather was just the opposite; misty and gloomy. Everyone on the boat was quiet probably thinking about the trip and how it went from bright and sunny, that you could see clearly for miles, to dark and wet in just a matter of days. The track was an amazing experience and proved to us that we were more capable than we thought, not just physically but also mentally. As we got back into Rumbles we said our final goodbye to the lake and set off down the gravel road towards our next stop. Napier!

- Ili on one of the many suspension bridges -

Meals; definitely important to plan them out properly to have enough energy, minimise weight and waste. We have to say that we were happy with our choices. Still saying no to the pre-packed dehydrated meals from the stores :)

Day 1:

Lunch - Pre-made egg sandwiches and avocado (made in Rumbles)

Dinner - One pot tom yum with lentils, rice and carrots (30 mins cooking time)

Day 2:

Breakfast - Egg & avocado wraps (brought two boiled eggs)

Lunch - Tuna, processed cheese slices and avocado tortilla wraps

Dinner - Korean Ramen with seaweed and carrots (15 mins cooking time)

Day 3:

Breakfast - Oats with peanuts, raisins & dates

Lunch - Tuna, processed cheese slices and avocado tortilla wraps

Dinner - Couscous with tuna and carrots (15mins cooking time)

Day4:

Breakfast - Oats with peanuts, raisins & dates

Snacks:

Hello Dollys

Chocolates

Peanuts and raisins

Dates

Miso Soup

Mushroom Soup

- Steve just hiking through the beautiful forest -

Thanks for reading!

Steve & Ili