Which Lake Waikaremoana Guided Walk is Best?

We offer two fantastic guided walks at Lake Waikaremoana, the Waikaremoana Discovery Tour and the Waikaremoana Guided Walk. So, how do you know which Lake Waikaremoana guided walk is right for you? Well, let’s cover the main points of difference on each walk so you can be confident you’ll have a wonderful time.

Waikaremoana Guided Walk – 4 days, departs and returns to Rotorua.

The Waikaremoana Guided Walk covers the full 46km Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk track from Hopuruahine to Onepoto. We stay in basic backcountry huts for 3 nights along the track. There are no full-service lodges on this North Island Great Walk track, the DoC huts are the only type of accommodation available. We stay at Waiharuru Hut, Waiopaoa Hut and Panekire Hut. They’re all clean, dry and warm but are basic in nature. Toilets are located outdoors and are the pit-style (long-drop) toilets. There is clean drinking water available for cooking and washing, but there are no showers. We are able to take a dip in the lake to cool off, but please no shampoo, conditioner or soap as this disrupts the natural balance of the lake environment. We share communal cooking and sleeping spaces. There are bunk bed dormitories with slab-style bunk beds and mattresses. There are really good wood burners in each hut for the colder nights. 

You’ll carry only a daypack for the majority of this guided walk. Our support boat, Legend, has access to us on the trail for Days 1 & 2 so we’ll stow your extra gear on the boat and you’ll be reunited with it each evening. On the morning of Day 3, when we head up Panekire Bluff, we no longer have access to the boat so you’ll be adding a sleeping bag and any extra things you might need for night 3 in your daypack for the 3-hour climb up to Panekire Hut. When we come down off Panekire Bluff on Day 4, we’ll have your extra gear ready and waiting for you for the journey back to Rotorua.

We’ll arrange all the food for the 4-day trip. We’ll make sure you’re well-fed! Our guides do all the food preparation, cooking, serving and washing up so you can kick back, relax and enjoy the serenity. If you love doing dishes, by all means, get stuck in – we love dishwasher helpers!

This is the easiest, most comfortable way to do the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk and it’s absolutely worth the extra luxury of choosing the fully guided option! If you love ticking off the New Zealand Great Walks, but you’re at a stage in life where you like to do so in as much comfort as possible, this is the guided walk holiday package for you!

Waikaremoana Discovery Tour – 4 days, departs and returns to Rotorua.

For folks who just don’t love the idea of backcountry DoC huts, we hear you! We’ve created the Waikaremoana Discovery Tour to be a more comfortable, luxurious way to experience Te Urewera.  Like the Waikaremoana Guided Walk, this is a 4-day guided walk departing from Rotorua. We don’t do the full Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk track on this tour, so if your goal is to tick off a North Island Great Walk, then the Waikaremoana Guided Walk is the better option for you! 

Instead of DoC huts, we stay in beautiful, lakeside chalets at the Waikaremoana Holiday Park on each of the 3 nights of the tour. We head out from there each day to do day walks, two of those day walks are the highlights sections of the Great Walk track, so you still see the big views of the Great Walk track as well as some other excellent short walks in the area. Chalets have ensuites (hooray!), heat pumps, electric blankets and kitchenettes and we have a mixture of twin share, double and single chalets.

This is a fully-inclusive guided walk package holiday. Your meals, drinks, snacks, transport and accommodation are all included. Our lovely team of guiding staff will prepare, cook and serve your meals in the lodge dining room. We do all the hard stuff, all you have to do is show up with your boots and a backpack and we do the rest!

Walking Legends has all of your Lake Waikaremoana guided walk needs covered. Come and experience the best of North Island guided walks with us, we look forward to seeing you out there soon!

For another excellent 4-day North Island guided walk, take a look at our Great Barrier Island Escape or Coromandel Explorer tours.

Are you a serious North Island hiking enthusiast? Check out our epic 12-day Bucket List Walk, for an excellent sample of North Island hiking trails from Coromandel to Lake Waikaremoana to Tongariro National Park. Stay in beautiful lodges with ensuite bathrooms and enjoy a wide taste of the spectacular, varied landscapes the North Island has to offer. Book now!