This easy 5 km walk around Lake Rotopounamu will take you around 2 hours on a well maintained track.

They say Lake Rotopounamu was formed by an extra large landslide around 10,000 years ago.

Quick Facts about this walk

  • Location: North Island NZ
  • Distance: 5 kms
  • Time needed: 2 Hours
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Wheelchair Access: No
  • Route: Round Trip
  • Elevation: 713m
  • Wet Feet: No
  • Toilets: Yes
  • Dogs: No
  • Mobile Coverage: No
  • Last Updated: November, 2019

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Summary points about this walk

Walk Highlights

Crystal clear water, but very cold. You will find plenty of places to walk down on to the sandy beaches

Track Quality

A very good track to walk on, the track was very well maintained. The toilets are at Long Beach, not the start of the walk, more like half way.

Hazards

Unknown

Transport

No

Water

No

Driving Instructions

You drive south from Turangi to National Park or Chateau Tongariro and over the Te Ponannga Saddle, as you start to descend the saddle you will see the car park on your right.

Shops & Restaurants Nearby

11 Km drive to Turangi

Area & Trail History

Lake Rotopounamu is about an 11km drive from the town of Turangi. They say Lake Rotopounamu was formed by an extra large landslide around 10,000 years ago. The lake is nine meters deep and one square kilometer in size. Lake Rotopounamu makes a very good place to stop to stretch the legs on your way to Mt Ruapehu or further south to Wanganui.

Map Location

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Points of interest along the walk​

Walking through the bush around the lake
Lake Rotopounamu Walk
Lake Rotopounamu Walk
Lake Rotopounamu Walk
Lake Rotopounamu Walk

Point 1: Lake Rotopounamu

From the road to the start of the walk was a steady 60m climb. It was a very pleasant walk to Lake Rotopounamu, the track was wide and very even under foot. Walking around the edge of Lake Rotopounamu was a little greasy under foot in a couple of places, but the mud was soon forgotten when we walk out on to the white sand of Lake Rotopounamu. I heard that people walk into the lake just to enjoy a cold invigorating swim, I would need a wet suit before I jumped in. The bird life around Lake Rotopounamu was outstanding I could have stayed there all day just to listen to the Tui and the bell birds.




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