Marios Gavalas
Author And Researcher
I'm Marios, delivering the best of Aotearoa's nature walks to your device.
I've personally walked hundreds of New Zealand's tracks and spent months in libraries uncovering interesting information on New Zealand/Aotearoa. And you'll find a slice of that research on this page - enjoy!
5 km return | 2 hours return
Lush forest surrounds this tranquil lake in a crater beside Mount Pihanga
Lake Rotopounamu is signposted on the left 8 km from junction of SH41 and SH47. There’s a large parking area on the opposite side of the road from the start of track.
A steady climb of 20 minutes brings you to the start of the loop, which can be followed in either direction.
Occasional side tracks lead to the lake edge, however Long Beach is the natural stopping place. Here the fine gravel beach is the place to soak it up. There’s a toilet and benches too.
Continue back to the start of the access track.
Lake Rotopounamu occupies a hollow on the western flank of Pihanga (1326m). It is only 7.9 m deep and lies at 710 m altitude. It cover 0.89 k
Some towering rimu and sizeable kahikatea flank the lake shore.
A partnership between DoC and Project Tongariro is aiming to reduce predator numbers in the area. Rats, stoats, cats, possums and pigs have decimated birdlife and traplines are now installed and maintained by volunteers.
In Maori, ‘roto’ means ‘lake’ and ‘pounamu’ is ‘greenstone’.
One story relates to Pihanga being a beautiful maiden, fought over by Tongariro, Taranaki, Tauhara and Putauaki.
The lake is fully swimmable and devoid of taniwha.
Feature | Value | Info |
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Organisation |
DOC Central North IslandCentral government organisation |
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Location |
North Island ▷ Ruapehu ▷ Tongariro / National Park Village |
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Categories |
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Directions To Coordinates |
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Coordinates |