Te Urewera, a section of land that was a National Park under the Crown from 1954 to 2014, is the location of one of three Great Walks on the North Island. Home to the Tuhoe people, who now own the land and run the huts & trails, this is definitely a one of a kind Great Walk.
The walk does require a bit of planning, as it is one of the most isolated parts of the country. It has the longest stretch of gravel highway left in New Zealand, at a staggering 74 kms! I recommend staying the night before and after you complete the walk, as it is about 2 hours drive from any proper small town.
A semi-circular track that can be walked in either direction, we started at Onepoto and headed to Hopuruahine Landing. At 43 km’s, we completed the trek in 3 nights and 4 days, however I think it could be done in 2 nights and 3 days. Other than the first day, the track is relatively flat and there are a total of 5 campsites & 5 huts (not always at the same place) to choose from along the way.
Starting around 10:30am from Onepoto, we headed to Panekire Hut which is a 9k stretch. The largest elevation gain over the hike from 600m to 1200m at the height, the best view of the walk is at Panekire Bluff.
We arrived at the hut around 3:30pm, so a 5 hour day. This was my fourth Great Walk but the first time I was staying in huts! By the time we got to the hut it was raining, so I was glad to be able to be inside. It was a smaller hut with 36 bunks over 2 rooms.
Sadly, the weather stayed overcast and rainy so we were unable to see any views from the hut.
Day 2 started at 9:10am and was a 8k decline back to water level. We stayed at the next hut, which also had a campground, Waiopaoa. We arrived by 11:20am, so barely a 2.5 hour hike down for us. We dropped our bags off and decided to go a bit further for the Korokoro Falls side trip.
This side trip is normally done on the next leg, but we thought we should attempt it while the weather was nice. It was a 2.5 hour return back to the hut, but only a 30 minute side trip off the track. The waterfall was remarkable. So remote and large, I was a bit surprised it wasn’t going full blast because of the rain. My partner decided to take a dip in it and said it was freezing but refreshing.
That evening we enjoyed the most spiritual Hut Warden I have ever encountered. A Maori from the region, he went to work for DOC as a Ranger on the South Island. Since his people took over the land, he came back and gives evening talks about the legends of the area. We learned about the history of the lake, Her Maiden Mist and how to do a proper greeting in Maori.
Day 3 was from Waiopapa Hut to Marauiti Hut over 12 kms. A bit more hilly than we were expecting, the cloudy weather kept us cool while we walked along a Kiwi Reserve for part of the afternoon. We passed Korokoro campground, close to the side trip to the waterfall, and Maraunui campsite.
This section of the trail took us from 9:10am-1:10pm for a total of 4 hours. Our group was about 15, and this hut only has space for 26 so we felt as though we had it all to ourselves.
The last day was the longest in terms of kms at 17, and again had a bit more hills than expected but was predominantly flat.
Taking us about 5 hours, this day we walked past Waiharuru campsite & hut, Tapuaenui campsite and Whanganui hut before reaching Hopuruahine Landing.
Another thing you need to plan is your transportation from one end to the other. Will you carpool and have cars at both ends? Or will you organize a water taxi to take you to the other side? We did carpooling (although it is almost an hour drive on the windy gravel!) as the water taxis were not running as frequently due to Covid.
Overall this was the most spiritual Great Walk I have completed. I wish we gave ourselves more time to enjoy the area before or after the hike, as it is so remote. I also loved being in a big group, as it was great to mingle but also find a few others that kept to our pace.
Staying in the huts was a game changer! Yes, you need some earplugs and eye covers, but I felt I had better energy each day to sleeping better than in a tent on the ground.
I would highly recommend this hike as it was one of the least trekked tracks I have done. I would love to do it again, fingers crossed we get more sunny weather!
TIP: This walk is notorious for rainy weather. Make sure you have the right gear, and keep all your stuff dry with a bag cover.
