LAKE WAIKAREMOANA TRACK 7
8
COOKS COVE WALKWAY
Great views, lush farmland, instructive interpretation panels and a good swimming cove makes for an excellent day trip.
2hr 30min; 5.8km return
Where is it?
Medium fitness required
At the southern end of Tolaga Bay, 52km from Gisborne. Take SH 35 and turn off at Wharf Rd.
Some hill climbing
Terrain Well-formed bush paths. Keep to the tracks to avoid coastal bluffs.
No dogs - part on private farmland
Lake Waikaremoana Track © Hawke’s Bay Tourism
TRACK OVERVIEW Nestled within Te Urewera National Park, the Lake Waikaremoana hike is a Great Walk and multi-day excursion that takes in valleys, peaks and lakes. It can be completed year-round but excels in summer when swimming in the lake proves irresistible. This unique Great Walk is managed by local iwi (Maori community), the Tūhoe and the land is critical to their turangawaewae (sense of identity). The mountainous Te Urewera region was the first natural feature in New Zealand law to be recognised as a legal entity in its own right. Although you’ll predominately skirt the lake’s shoreline for four days, be aware that the route is not a complete circuit. The changing landscape combines streams, steep ridge climbs, tunnellike forest trails and rolling valleys of beech, podocarp and kāmahi shrub. All along the route you’ll likely witness a community of fantail, tomtit and kererū, and hear an orchestra of bellbird and tūī. Come nightfall, calls of the North Island brown kiwi trill from the darkness.
Opotiki Holiday Park Accommodation: Relax in a rural setting only 200m walk to Opotiki town centre. Start of the Motu Trail on our doorstep, or we can arrange shuttle services. Secure lock-up for bikes and group rates available. Choice of self-contained units, kitchen cabins, tent sites & motel units.
The ground beneath your feet is the homeland of the Tūhoe people and very sacred. Keep watch for Patupaiarehe. Māori tradition states these fairy-like people live in misty forest and mountaintops.
Where is it? Located within Te Urewera National Park, 80km from Gisborne and 163km south of Rotorua.
Terrain The track initially follows the lake edge and is uneven in places. Some steady climbs follow.
3 – 4 days; 46km one way Moderate to high fitness required
TRACK OVERVIEW After admiring the historic Tolaga Bay Wharf, make your way to the paddock where the walkway begins. Crossing open pastureland, you will climb through low bush, with much of the walk on farm tracks. After about 20 minutes, you will find the lookout point 120m above sea level, where you’ll catch your first glimpse of Cooks Cove, a pretty sheltered inlet. Look out to the rugged Mitre Rocks that lie to the left of the entrance and Pourewa Island rising up on the right. The winding track then descends through regenerating bush until you reach the coastal flat of the bay. Explore Te Kotere o te Whenua, otherwise known as the ‘Hole in the Wall’, and take a look the New Zealand Historic Places Trust memorial, erected in 1966 to commemorate Captain Cook’s inaugural exploration of Aotearoa in 1769. Ideal for picnics and photography.
Awakeri
HOT SPRINGS The perfect place
to explore the Bay of Plenty
Undulating terrain
No dogs 39 Potts Ave, Opotiki Phone: +64 7 315 6050 Email: opotiki.holidays @xtra.co.nz
Features: Communal kitchen, metered showers, laundry, TV lounge, Freeview TV, Zenbu WiFi, swimming pool, playground and dump station. Tariff: 2 persons $50-$120, sites from $20, seasonal rates may apply. Visa, Mastercard, EFTPOS.
www.opotikiholidaypark.co.nz
• Spacious play area & bushwalks • Set in established bush setting • Park Motel, tourist flats, cabins, power & tent sites • 16km to Whakatane • Hot Thermal Pools – Free for Guests Tariff: (2 persons) $40-$120, seasonal rates apply
SH 30, RD 2, Whakatane Ph +64 7 304 9117 www.awakerisprings.co.nz WALKING MUST-DO’S 39
