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The Lake Tarawera trail in Rotorua is on many ‘someday’ lists, with the 15km track taking you lakeside as well as deep in the bush. It’s a beautiful yet challenging walk that shouldn’t be underestimated as it does require a good level of fitness. This being a solo adventure, I booked the water taxi to Hot Water Beach and walked back to Te Wairoa car park, where my car was waiting for me.

Totally Tarawera runs a regular water taxi service to Hot Water Beach from The Landing. If you plan to walk back to the car park from the beach like I did, there’s also a free shuttle to The Landing - just make sure to choose this option when you book the water taxi. The water taxi takes about 20 minutes, and owner Terry is a fantastic host. I shared the taxi that morning with two friends also walking the trail, Anahera and Manaakitanga.

Walking the track from Hot Water Beach, walk lakeside and follow the signposts until you see the start of the track. The water was stunning that day, and days like that always makes me seriously think about investing in a kayak or SUP board. Once you’re on the track, straight away there was a gradual incline as it took me inland and quickly built up a sweat. The fleece jacket came off first, and luckily I wore pants that had zip off legs because the walk would have been unbearable otherwise (especially in the most exposed sections in the heat of day).

You can swim at Hot Water Beach (it’s even possible to cook in the steaming waters), however the better hot pool is an hour and a half from the beach. As you walk the track, when you get to
Te Wairua Stream rest stop (there’s a long drop toilet), you’ll see the sign before the walk bridge - just before the sign the track splits (there were some logs across it), go right. Keep walking for another 10-15 minutes which takes you lakeside. You’ll see the hot pool before you get to the lake. There were already people swimming when I got there so I didn’t take a photo of the hot pool.
To make your way back to the track, go back the way you came.

The track can get quite narrow in some sections, although it wasn’t really an issue since I found myself alone most of the time. Even though there were lookouts that overlooked the lake, for me the best views came deep in the bush as you walked above the forest canopy.

Lunch came around 1pm when I saw a lovely shaded spot that came out of nowhere. It was beside a stream but also right by the lake. I had been walking for almost four hours, and I figured I had earned my cheese and crackers by then. Plus I had bought some tea from Charity Tea NZ the day before with a single cup brewer so I was excited to try it out. Before I tucked into lunch, I put a slice of cheese, chorizo and cracker inside a nearby tree as a gift to the patupaiarehe (the fairies) and gave thanks to Tanemahuta for letting me enjoy the beautiful forest.

It was hard to leave that beautiful spot, but I knew that I still had at least another couple of hours of hiking left so I carried on. The track had a steep uphill section not far from where I had lunch, and the legs felt pretty jelly as they climbed the stairs to the lookout. I must say, the views of Lake Tarawera from the top of the stairs were worth it.

The last 1.5 hours was the hardest for me, and it didn’t help that the early afternoon sun couldn’t hide behind any clouds. Seeing The Landing gave me a false sense that I was close to the car park, when really I was still another hour away. It’s times like these that I’m glad that I have hiking poles, because they do help keep me going, especially in longer hikes.

Nothing feels better than getting hiking boots off after a tough hike, and that’s just what I did as soon as I got to my car. This was quite the toughie for me, though I don't think it's impossible given a reasonable level of fitness and time. I definitely recommend taking plenty of water, some snacks and wearing good shoes. If you’re walking from Te Wairoa car park and catching the water taxi back, allow at least 6 hours, maybe more if you want to go swimming in the hot pool. 

Don’t just add the Lake Tarawera trail on your ‘someday’ list, go do it. It’s definitely worth the lactic burn.

fivefootronna is Ronna Grace Funtelar - a thirtyish adventurer, graphic designer and writer.
A woman with a curious mind who lives for hiking mountains, outdoor adventures and eating pizza. She has a unique brand of optimism that is a combination of her great enthusiasm for life and cups of coffee during the day.