The small town of Wairoa is situated just south of the Mahia Peninsula, midway between Gisborne in Eastland and Napier in Hawke’s Bay. Set on the Wairoa River, the town is a popular place for waterskiing and yachting. Wairoa is also an ideal base for exploring Te Urewera National Park, the largest area of native forest remaining in the North Island. Lake Waikaremoana, right on the edge of the park, is a tiny settlement centred around a motor camp and offering a petrol pump and a shop for basic supplies.

Sights & Destinations in Wairoa & Lake Waikaremoana

Mahia Peninsula

Just north of Wairoa, Mahia Peninsula is a hugely popular destination for fishing, diving, surfing and swimming. Fringed with lovely uncrowded sandy beaches, it’s the ideal place for a Kiwi summer holiday. There’s a beach store and the Sunset Point Bar and Bistro is popular for its seafood and its sports bar.

Lake Waikaremoana

Situated on the edge of Te Urewera National Park, Lake Waikaremoana is a gateway for exploring the park and a great holiday spot in its own right. The Lake Waikaremoana Motorcamp is a fully serviced Department of Conservation camp right on the lake shore. The lake is a popular spot for boating, fishing and kayaking (though jet skis are not permitted). Fishing licenses for Brown and Rainbow Trout are available from the camp store, where there are also kayaks available for hire.

Te Urewera National Park

Immense and spectacular, Te Urewera National Park is one of the wildest places remaining in New Zealand’s North Island. Established in 1954, the park is a very popular destination for those seeking outdoor adventure, but its sheer size means that much of it remains remote and virtually inaccessible. The most popular part of the park is the southern end, where visitors gravitate to Lake Waikaremoana and Lake Waikareiti. Most of Te Urewera National Park is criss-crossed with ridges and thickly forested – there are more than 650 species of native plants here, along with a variety of native birds virtually unmatched anywhere else in the North Island. Resident birds include very rare species such as the Kokako and Whio (Blue Duck).

Activities in Wairoa & Lake Waikaremoana

Walking and hiking

Te Urewera National Park is a huge draw card for walkers and the native forest and lakes are a beautiful backdrop for a myriad of hiking trails. The Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk is a stunning multi-day hike in the southwest corner of the National Park. The walk follows the shores of Lake Waikaremoana for much of its length, traversing a range of terrain and vegetation from dense rainforest to higher altitude beech forest, and bird life is abundant. The track is one of New Zealand’s Great Walks and is administered by the Department of Conservation. Walkers need to book and pay for huts and campsites ahead of time – the walk is hugely popular and is among the easier of the Great Walks. Allow three to four days to walk the 46 km trail.

Fishing

Lake Waikaremoana is well known for its plentiful Brown and Rainbow Trout. Obtain a fishing license from the Lake Waikaremoana Motorcamp store. Join a fishing charter on the Mahia Peninsula and go in search of snapper, groper, Kingfish and Tarakihi.

Diving

The Mahia Peninsula is a popular destination for diving. There are more than 20 shipwrecks off the coast, including the wrecks of the Tasmania, the Tongariro and the Alexander Newton.

Hot pools

Morere Hot Springs offer public and private thermal pools in a bush-clad setting.