Posts tagged lakeside
Lake Tawera trail from Hot Water Beach to Te Wairoa carpark
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.

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The Local Tourist, Bay of Plenty, Free, Water ActivityRonna Grace Funtelarthelocaltourist, newzealand, nznatural, bayofplenty, bopactivities, bayofplentyregion, daywalk, hobbyhiker, bay of plenty, laketarawera, femalehiker, laketaraweratrail, activitiesnearrotorua, activitiesinrotorua, thingstodoinrotorua, thingstodonearrotorua, lakeside, totallytarawera, watertaxiComment
Bay of Plenty - Lake Okataina Scenic Reserve: Te Auheke and Ngahopua Tracks
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.

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The Local Tourist, Forest, Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, Free, North Island, WaterfallsRonna Grace Funtelarlakeokataina, ngahopuatrack, teauheketrack, twinlakes, cascadefalls, waterfalls, wateractivity, lakeview, lakeside, easywalk, halfdaywalk, daywalk, hobbyhiker, newzealandComment
Exploring Lake Tikitapu and Lake Rotokakahi
Exploring Lake Tikitapu and Lake Rotokakahi

Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake) and Lake Rotokakahi (Green Lake) are one of four smaller lakes between Lake Rotorua and Lake Tarawera. The other two are Lake Okareka and Lake Okataina. I have been to three of the four now (the other being Lake Okataina), though lakes Tikitapu and Rotokakahi are pretty special in my books. Access to Lake Okareka is on the same road as the blue and green lakes, so you can easily do these three in one day.

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The Local Tourist, Rotorua, Water ActivityRonna Grace Funtelarrotorua, thelocaltourist, laketikitapu, lakerotokakahi, bluelake, greenlake, newzealand, naturewalksnz, bayofplenty, easywalk, shortwalks, lakeside, lakeview, wateractivityComment