LAKE WAIKAREMOANA GREAT WALK (4 nights):

This Photo Tour takes place along the Lake Waikaremoana walking track and by boat across the wonderful lakes of the Te Urewera National Park in the North Island of New Zealand.

LINK TO IMAGE GALLERY FOR THIS TOUR

Photo Tour

Photo Tour passengers will enjoy this fully guided walk experience – including hut/lodge accommodation, all meals and drinks with dinner – with an emphasis on the photographic opportunities presented on the hike.

There is no need to carry your overnight pack each day as your gear will be transferred for you by boat. You have only to carry a day pack and your camera gear.

Chris will be available at all times to offer camera tips, photographic advice and general assistance in both group and one-on-one situations throughout the hike.

Recommended Equipment:

• Digital SLR Camera
• At least one wide angle lens and one long lens
• Tripod if desired
• Sufficient memory cards for a ton of photos!!
• Comfortable, broken in hiking boots.
• Day pack in which to carry your camera gear, lunch and an extra warm layer each day. (Raincoats provided).
• Larger pack (40 litre packs available if required) to transport your extra clothing, overnight gear and toiletries in. You will not need to carry this pack on the hike.
• Insect repellant, torch, light weight pack towel etc.

The above is a list of minimum recommended equipment only. Please feel free to contact us for additional recommendations on what to bring, and what not to bring, on this tour.

FULL ITINERARY:

DAY ONE

Make your own way to Rotorua. Accommodation is provided in a local Rotorua Motel. Meet with Chris and the rest of the Photo Tour group at a local restaurant for dinner (at own cost) at 5pm. This is a chance to meet everyone, discuss camera and hike equipment, and basically prepare for the trip. After dinner you will need to sort your camera and hiking equipment. Any additional luggage may be stored at the motel while we are on the hike.

DAY TWO
2 hours walking (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Pick-up from your Rotorua accommodation approx 8am. A three-hour scenic drive follows ancient Maori trails into the heart of Te Urewera National Park to Lake Waikaremoana. Upon arriving at Lake Waikaremoana, take a boat ride across the lake to your first walking track. Relish a fresh picnic lunch before taking the one hour return walk to see the amazing Korokoro Falls. Paddle in the lake before continuing on one hour to your DOC hut accommodation right on the water’s edge.

Settle in to your accommodation and savour the pre-dinner drinks and nibbles on the lake-shore.

** Accommodation this first night is provided in a Department of Conservation tramping hut right by the edge of Lake Waikaremoana – a great spot for early morning photos of the lake. However there is no electricity or cellphone coverage. Outside toilets, communal wash facilities with running water and shared bunk rooms with sleeping bags and pillows provided. Alternative accommodation may be available in the Lodge if requested, please advise your preference upon booking.

DAY THREE
3+ hours walking (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Those of you who are early risers will want to photograph the early morning mist shrouding the lake.

After a delicious cooked breakfast day two of your NZ walking holiday features some of the most spectacular views from the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk Track. After a boat ride across the lake take a 1.5 hour steady climb through mixed broadleaf podocarp forest rewards you with inspiring views over Lake Waikaremoana and the forest-clad mountains of Te Urewera National Park, New Zealand. Spectacular sandstone rock bluffs drop sheer to the lake 600 metres below. Those wanting a challenge can continue climbing a further 2 hours to reach the highest point of the Great Walk Track, and the best viewpoint of the lake. Mt Ruapehu may be seen on a clear day.

Return climb back down to our overnight stop.

Settle in to your accommodation and savour the pre-dinner drinks and nibbles on the lake-shore.

** Accommodation for the next two nights is provided in an old lodge which is run by local iwi (Maori Tribe). These character facilities are fairly basic but provide hot showers, comfortable beds and linen (price is based on twin share), shared bathooms and kitchen facilities.

DAY FOUR
2+ hours walking (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Stroll through a magnificent ancient beech forest to the tranquil Lake Waikareiti. Reached only by walking track, this lake is free of introduced aquatic plants and motorised boats, so has outstanding water clarity and is blissfully peaceful!

Take a rowboat to one of the lake’s pest-free islands, where a short walk leads to a tiny lake surrounded by lush forest and native birds. Returning to Lake Waikaremoana after lunch you have the option of walking around a dazzlingly clear fresh-water spring, or exploring the Onepoto Caves.

After dinner there may be a chance to walk to a lookout to photograph the sunset over the lake.

DAY FIVE
2+ hours walking (Breakfast, Lunch)

Begin your journey back to Rotorua with a scenic boat cruise right across Lake Waikaremoana, to complete another section of the Great Walk Track. A stunning forest and lakeside trail traverses from the secluded Wairaumoana arm of the lake across a peninsula, home to a Kiwi Recovery Program that is successfully increasing the numbers of our threatened national bird. Thanks to the pest-control in this area the forest is some of New Zealand’s best. The track then follows the lakeshore to an estuary, where you can see and hopefully photograph a variety of waterfowl.

Driving back you stop in a small Maori village for afternoon tea. We will arrive back in Rotorua around 6pm.

LINK TO IMAGE GALLERY FOR THIS TOUR

RATES:

US$2,200 (NZ$2,900) per person based on twin share Motel room in Rotorua, share bunk room in DOC hut first night, and twin share in Lodge accommodation last two nights. (Contact us for single supplement rates).

Includes transport to and from the track ex Rotorua in New Zealand. Includes all accommodation, all meals and refreshments (except for dinner and drinks on the first night), all beverages including alcoholic drinks with dinner, and all activities.
Excludes international flights to Rotorua/New Zealand, airport taxes and travel visas (if required). Excludes personal travel insurance. Excludes dinner and drinks on the first night (these are at own cost), and excludes any personal purchases made during the trip.