Ultimate Te Urewera Trek

On this 3-day trek you will experience it all - from the magnificent, world-renowned podocarp forest of the Whirinaki Forest Park to the beautiful Lake Waikaremoana along part of one of New Zealand's great walks.

From Rotorua we travel about 1.5hrs to the start of the trek near the Maori settlement of Minginui. We enter the Whirinaki Forest following a loop trail through enormous podocarp trees including rimu, matai, miro, kahikatea and more. Along the way you will experience the abundance of native birdlife including bellbirds, tui, kereru, kaka, and sometimes the endangered whio (blue duck). Your guide will share stories about the history of the region, as well as point out many of the native plants used by Maori for traditional foods and rongoa (medicine).

On day one we overnight in a comfortable private bush camp with hot showers, a BBQ dinner and good New Zealand wine. On day two we head to the beautiful Lake Waikaremoana in Te Urewera National Park. Over the next two days we enjoy stunning views of the lake as we follow a well formed trail through a mix of podocarp and dense beech forest, with our overnight stay at a comfortable DOC camp. Our journey back to Rotorua includes an optional stop off at a natural thermal spring.

This trek is on well formed trails requiring a good level of fitness with about 5 hours hiking each day.

A range of treks are scheduled between October and May.

Fitness level needed: good

Degree of difficulty: moderate

Price: NZ$995 adults, NZ$875 children (10-15 years)

Group size: 2 - 12

Departures:

2011: 24 Oct, 28 Nov, 27 Dec

2012: 2 Jan (full), 10 Jan, 1 Feb, 24 Feb, 7 Mar, 2 Apr, 1 May

Three-day trek includes:

Pick up at 8.30am in Rotorua and drop off back in Rotorua about 6pm on day three

All meals

All park and hut fees

All camping equipment (tents, sleeping bags, sleeping bag liners, mattresses, etc)

Maximum group size of twelve

At least one local Tuhoe guide

Optional natural hot pool dip

 

 

What you need to bring:

Good walking boots or shoes, preferably with ankle support

Overnight pack for clothing and personal items

Day pack to carry drink bottle, camera and extra clothes whilst walking

Drink bottle filled with water

Sunscreen, insect repellent, sunglasses and hat

Torch

Layers of clothing e.g. woollen or polypropylene T-shirt, long-sleeved sweater or fleece, and a waterproof jacket (additional warm clothes recommended for the evening - it can get cold)

Long, lightweight trousers are recommended

Underwear, socks, pyjamas, towel and swimsuit

Don't forget your camera or video camera

We can also store personal belongings that you don't want to carry with you on the trek