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.

Bay of Plenty: Hiking the Western Okataina Walkway

No matter how quiet you try to be at 5.30am, everything just seems louder somehow. It was an early start because I was on my way to Rotorua to meet up with Senior DoC Ranger Mayer (has quite a nice ring to it doesn’t it?), my hiking buddy for the day.

We planned to walk the 17km Western Okataina Walkway starting at the Okataina Outdoor Recreation Centre and finishing up at Millar Road at Okareka. The track can also be walked from Te Ruato Bay in Lake Rotoiti, but we decided to save ourselves a couple of hours and go from the recreation centre instead.

Bay of Plenty - Lake Okataina Scenic Reserve: Te Auheke and Ngahopua Tracks

Access Te Auheke track (also known as the Cascade Falls) starts by the Lake Okataina Outdoor Education Centre on Okataina Rd, which turns off from SH 30 in Ruato. The track starts behind the Outdoor Education Centre hut - walk along the left fence line until you see the wooden marker post. You can also access the shorter Rongomai track just a few metres away. I started the walk wearing my gloves, so it’s good to bring warm gear (just in case) even if the sun is shining.

The track itself is relatively flat, and wide throughout. The only time it narrowed was closer to the falls itself where I had to walk over some larger rocks. I thought about trying out my new hiking boots here, and there were some sections with overgrown roots and muddy patches, but as it was mostly flat terrain, my regular walking shoes did the job just fine.