Grey skies greeted us at Te Wairoa carpark. I knew we were in for a wet afternoon, but I was hopeful we would be closer to Hot Water Beach by then, and even planned a quick soak before catching the water taxi at 3pm. I’ve walked the Tarawera Trail twice before (from both directions) and was pretty confident with my five hour walking estimate. Unfortunately, there have been a couple of major storms since I last hiked the Tarawera Trail, and the large windfalls and overgrown sections did slow us down. I was still pretty close - it took us 5.5 hours and made it to Hot Water Beach with just three minutes to spare!

Even though it’s called the ‘Tarawera Trail’, I reckon it’s still a well marked track and beginners shouldn’t have too much trouble. When you leave the carpark, the trail will begin to narrow as it climbs up towards Te Wairoa viewpoint. There was a lot of grass and ferns growing over the track, which slowed me down a lot. Being just five feet fall, we had a good laugh as I bush bashed my way through, and the tall fella cruised through it. Is it even hiking in the backcountry without a bit of bush bashing?

A stroll along the Lake Ōkāreka Walkway

Our walk started from the boat ramp carpark because it has flushing toilets - there are no toilets at the reserve carpark. From the toilets, we walked roadside for 15 mins until we reached the lakeside reserve. The track is wheelchair accessible until Silver Beach, as beyond here the track goes up stairs and along a short bush track to the outlet, where the track ends.

About five minutes from the carpark, the track opens up to the lakeside wetlands. There’s a purpose-built boardwalk so you can do enjoy the birdlife without damaging the wetland and plant life. We checked out the bird hide on the way back, but with the birds being so chilled anyway, it was easier to do our bird watching (and photography) from the boardwalk instead. We spot some small fish swimming in the wetland streams, but being so dry, the streams were mostly a trickle.

Explore the breathtaking Mount Tarawera with Kaitiaki Adventures

“We have a saying on this tour - it’s easier to stop than to mop!” Everyone in the van burst out laughing. The van had reached the start of the 4WD track on our guided tour to Mount Tarawera and Dan, our guide, was letting us know that it would be a bumpy 30 minutes ahead of us. He wasn’t joking, but luckily no one gave him a reason to bring out his mop on our tour.

I had wanted to do the guided walking tour on Mount Tarawera with Kaitiaki Adventures for a while now. After months of procrastination, I found myself booking on the Friday morning (I booked through bookme.co.nz) and just like that, I was climbing a volcano the following afternoon. There were seven of us on the tour with a couple of guides, Dan K (our main guide and driver) and Jordie aka Wade - he was so new they didn’t have time to get him a shirt with his name yet.

The van picked up three of us from the car park on Hemo Road and made our way to Ash Pit campground to pick up the last couple. It turns out they lived just down the road and after four years of waking up to the mighty maunga/mountain, they finally decided to climb it. Even though I spent most of the drive talking to them, I actually forgot to ask them their names! They were originally from Auckland and were originally looking to retire in Taupō, but luck would have it that their property popped up on the market and they haven’t looked back since.

Walking the Tarawera Trail and camping at Hot Water Beach

Usually, I like to go somewhere remote on long weekends, you know, to get away from the crowds. This time I decided to stay closer to home and walk the Tarawera Trail instead, adding a night’s camping at Te Rata Bay (Hot Water Beach). I had walked the trail before, the first time back in 2019. It was a humid and scorcher of a summer’s day - pretty much like this one.

A couple of days before, I made a last minute decision to join the Pinoy Adventurers NZ group on the trail. The last tramp I did with them was the Tongariro Alpine Crossing last winter. Unfortunately, 6:30am meeting time at Te Wairoa car park was too early for me (as I was driving from Whakatāne that morning), so I let them know I would be starting later and hoped to catch up with them along the track. That was a good decision in the end since I was the only one walking with a pack. It took me 5.5 hours to walk the 13.5km trail, and they got there an hour before me.

Lake Tawera trail from Hot Water Beach to Te Wairoa carpark

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 the walk does require a good level of fitness. 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 share the taxi that morning with two friends, Anahera and Manaakitanga.

A New Zealand Must-Do: A Supreme Zip Lining Experience With Rotorua Canopy Tours!

My first zip lining adventure was way back in 2017 (also with Rotorua Canopy Tours), with my friend Tamizan. It came at a time when I wanted to face my fear of heights, and face it I did! It would be another two years before the Ultimate Tour was built and after seeing their teaser video, I knew I just had to do it. I bought the voucher in 2018 just before I left for Peru, so I guess you can say that this adventure was two years in the making.