Te Urewera National Park National Park

Te Urewera (formerly Te Urewera National Park) is a large protected forested area in New Zealand’s North Island, notable for vast native forest, rugged ranges and Lake Waikaremoana. It is a culturally important landscape for the Tūhoe iwi and one of the country’s most remote forested regions.

Key visitor highlights include Lake Waikaremoana and the tramping network centered on the lake; the lake is the start of the 44-kilometre Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk. The area is primarily visited for tramping, backcountry camping and birdwatching within largely unmodified native forest.

The area’s legal and administrative status changed in 2014 when it was reconstituted under a new governance arrangement that recognizes Te Urewera’s distinct status and the role of local iwi in management. Conservation and recreation are both priorities under that arrangement.

Te Urewera sits inland on the eastern side of New Zealand’s North Island, straddling parts of the Bay of Plenty and adjacent ranges, with access routes from several small towns and rural roads.

• Great Walk length and duration: The Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk is 44 kilometres long and typically takes 3 to 4 days to complete using maintained huts and campsites.
• Legal status change in 2014: In 2014 the protected area formerly titled Te Urewera National Park was reconstituted under a new legal arrangement recognizing Te Urewera’s special status and Tūhoe management interests.

What to See#

• Lake Waikaremoana and Great Walk: Lake Waikaremoana, a large glacially-formed lake at the heart of the park that is the start and focus of the 44-kilometre Great Walk circuit.
• Tracks and backcountry routes: An extensive network of tramping tracks and backcountry routes that cross native forest and remote valleys, offering multi-day routes and huts.

Te Urewera is a large, remote national park in inland Bay of Plenty and eastern North Island. Access is typically by car using regional highways and unsealed local roads from nearby centres (for example Rotorua, Murupara or Wairoa) - road conditions can be rough and some areas require 4x4 vehicles. Many locations within Te Urewera (notably Lake Waikaremoana) are reached by a combination of driving on rural roads and then walking or boat access; check the Department of Conservation (DOC) for up-to-date access routes and road conditions before travel.

• If you plan to hike the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk inside Te Urewera, book huts or campsites well in advance through the Department of Conservation - spaces fill early in peak season.
• Arrange any trips into Te Urewera with local operators or Tuhoe-led guides when possible; guided visits provide cultural context and access to routes and sites that are otherwise hard to navigate.
• Expect long drives and limited mobile coverage in many parts of Te Urewera-plan transport (shuttle or 4x4), supplies and emergency plans in advance rather than relying on phone connectivity.