The Tarawera Trail — Body by Berryman

Quick Facts:

Location: Just outside of Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
Mileage: 15km (9.3 miles) one way
Elevation change: 480m (1574 ft.)
Estimated time to complete: 4 hours one way
Starting point: Te Wairoa car park, off Tarawera Road
End point: Hot Water Beach
Best time to go: Late October - April
Features: Views of Lake Tarawera, lakeside bushland, intermittent climbs, hot springs, cold springs and lots of native flora fauna
Use this website for more detailed info
Dogs, horses, vehicles (including bicycles and motorbikes) are NOT allowed

We started our morning with a quick stop at Sequoia Cafe & Eatery near the Redwoods in Rotorua. From there we took a 15 minute drive (one of my favorites) past Blue Lake (Tikitapu in Māori) to the Te Wairoa parking lot where we parked for free, smashed the rest of our butter chicken pies then headed off on the 15km walk to Hot Water Beach.

The hike was stunning. A beautiful bush walk that follows the contour of Lake Tarawera with lake views peaking through Punga trees. There were flax, ferns and blooming toi toi galore. The intermittent climbs lead us through lakeside bushland and eventually popped us out onto Hot Water Beach where yes, the water was actually hot!

Hot Water Beach sounded pretty touristy to me — mostly because it reminds me of the highly popular Hot Water Beach in Coromandel — but I was happily surprised when we finally descended into Te Rata Bay and found just 20 people scattered across the beach. Trampers have the option to stay overnight in the nearby hut or book a water taxi back to the car park. We were lucky enough to get picked up by our friend Jordie in his boat and taken to a lovely secluded hot pool nearby.

Other things to keep in mind: Bring your own water. Phone service is limited. Be careful, localized patches of sand are very hot.