Can I go to... Lake Waikaremoana? Hawke’s Bay Great Walk to reopen midway through summer

Those looking to get out of their stifling rooms and enjoy a lengthy outdoor experience in the Hawke’s Bay heat will soon be able to walk Lake Waikaremoana again, with fixes to the severe weather damage it experienced now nearly finished.

The Waikaremoana Great Walk will reopen in the new year on January 10, following an intensive work programme to repair heavy damage sustained during both Cyclone Gabrielle and previous severe weather events.

Waikaremoana, including the Great Walk, was closed after the impacts of the cyclone and reportedly excessive lake levels washed out tracks, flooded huts and dump stations and caused significant damage to the Waiopāoa cable bridge, requiring a replacement.

Lake Waikaremoana is one of New Zealand's Great Walks and takes three to four days of "intermediate" tramping. Photo / Holly Reid

The 46km, three- to four-day Lake Waikaremoana Track is considered a Great Walk by the Department of Conservation (DoC).

The start of the track at Onepoto can be reached with a 50-minute drive along State Highway 38 from Wairoa, which is a gravel surface from Tuai.

Te Urewera is the traditional homeland of the Tūhoe people and is legally the land that comprised the former Te Urewera National Park.

It was the first natural feature to be recognised in New Zealand law as a living person and legal entity in its own right, under Te Urewera Act 2014.

The rainforest walk boasts spectacular views amid a mountain range with lakes, valleys and peaks.

A compilation of the flooding from Lake Waikaremoana after Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Tūhoe

Te Uru Taumatua, the Tūhoe iwi authority which manages Te Urewera on behalf of Te Urewera Board, led the repair and maintenance programme, while DoC contributed $550,000 from its cyclone recovery funding, as well as technical support with the replacement bridge.

Te Urewera Board spokeswoman Kirsti Luke said the Wairoa, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay communities have had a difficult year and they hoped Te Urewera could offer recreation and relief.

“We are delighted to welcome whānau and manuhiri [guests] to Waikaremoana for part of the summer season of 2024,” Luke said.

Blair Waiwai, from the Waikaremoana team, said the flooding was so extensive it wasn’t possible to even inspect the damage for a month after the cyclone.

Chino Apiata, operations group manager for Te Uru Taumatua, said the team was stoked that friends of Te Urewera pitched in to help.

He said volunteers from the New Zealand Back Country Trust repaired and refreshed the Panekire hut, at the highest point of the Great Walk.

“We have all pulled together to reopen and welcome locals and manuhiri back,” Apiata said.

Repairs under the work programme included repair and maintenance of the huts and staff quarters, Panekire, Waiopāoa, Maraunui/Marauiti and Waiharuru, repairs to campsites and facilities interiors, exteriors, shelters, water supply and toilets, repairs to a special purpose road repaired in Hopuruahine and maintenance to short walks and structures at Lake Waikaremoana, including Lake Waikareiti, Black Beech Walk and Tawa Walk.

Bookings for the Waikaremoana Great Walk are open through the DoC booking system now.

Hawke’s Bay Today is running a series of articles called ‘Can I go to...’ to help people decide whether they should go to popular summer spots after the cyclone. If you have a place you would like to be featured, email us at news@hbtoday.co.nz.