Day 1: Whanganui landing - Marauiti hut
We decided to do the circuit anticlockwise, so that we encountered the big climb up Panekire on the last day with lighter packs, rather than on the first day with heavier packs.
We were on the water taxi at around 9:30 and enjoyed a pleasant trip across the lake. We started walking at about 10:00 and made good time to Waiharuru hut for lunch. A family that had been on the boat with us caught up and we watched as they headed down to the lake for a swim. The walk is popular with families, and the distance can be covered leisurely over 5 days or at a faster pace in fewer days. After lunch we carried on to Marauiti hut and went for a dip in the lake. To our surprise the family arrived later in the afternoon (and proceeded to go for another swim).
GPS data: 12.1 km, 3:19 moving (4:27 total), ascent 710 m, descent 706 m.
Day 2: Marauiti hut - Waiopaoa hut
Another beautiful morning greeted us. Thanks to sunrise being so early, we were breakfasted, packed, and ready to go by 7:30. Again we were making good time and opted to take the side trip to Korokoro Falls. This was about the only part of the whole track where the time indicated on the sign was remotely close to what it took us to walk (half an hour each way). Upon arriving back at the main track we had lunch before carrying on.
We had another swim when we got to Waiopaoa hut, and while Raewyn was getting changed I prepared her birthday cake (applying icing, M&Ms, and candles). On a youth camp a couple of years ago I had smuggled a cake in, and I knew this time was going to be a bit more difficult, but not impossible - and it was worth it :)
We met a couple staying at the same hut that night who lived in Rotorua and were also Christians, turned out they had some mutual friends in common with Raewyn. Small world.
GPS data: 15.8 km, 4:38 moving (6:16 total), ascent 904 m, descent 895 m.
Day 3: Waiopaoa hut - Onepoto (road end)
Once again we were up early, this time with a mission to get as much of the climb out of the way before the day heated up too much. It was hovering around 30 degrees the previous two days and expected to be similar on the third day too. We were walking by 7:30 and arrived at Panekire hut by 10:30 - too early for lunch, so we carried on. The views from along the tops were expansive, although the track kept mostly on the non-lake side of the bluffs with only a few opportunities to see the view. Coming down was equally as interminable as going up. Maybe I'm getting old, but my knees don't seem to like going downhill like they used to.
GPS data: 17.8 km, 5:29 moving (7:43 total), ascent 1109 m, descent 1117 m.
Overall impressions
I can't quite put my finger on it, but I wasn't as impressed by the Lake Waikaremoana track as I had been by most of the other Great Walks. Maybe its the long drive to get there, to find that most of the time you're walking through bush which looks pretty similar to the bush virtually everywhere else in the country. The only novelty factors are the views from the tops (of which there aren't as many as you would think, looking at the track) and the freshwater swimming opportunities.
One thing that irritated me a bit was the signage. As mentioned, we were considerably faster than the time indicated on all the signs, apart from the side trip to Korokoro Falls. Why is this a problem? Well, first of all, it makes things difficult to plan. We could possibly have done the walk in 2 days if we'd pushed it, but in the planning we were wondering whether trying to do it in 3 was too ambitious. Obviously we needn't have worried. I don't like having heaps of time sitting around with not much to do. But a second, more nagging issue, is regarding the people who come here, walk a section in 2 hrs that according to the sign should take 4, and think that the same sort of ratio will be true for every yellow and green DoC sign all over NZ. It could cause these people to overestimate their own ability. Yes, on the one hand, if it is mostly families walking the track, they will take longer, but in my opinion DoC should put the expected times on signs throughout the country according to some standardised walking pace (as actually walked by someone, not just calculated according to track condition, distance, and elevation gain/loss) and then it's up to individuals to mentally adjust their own expected times if they are faster or slower.
Another thing I found irritating was the lack of rangers at the huts to check people's passes. Huts on Great Walks have premium prices and are booked out months in advance, and we came across more than one person who decided on the day to carry on to the next one. No-one was at the huts checking passes. I was very surprised by this.
So it was a good walk, and a good one to take kids on, but I don't know that I'd be quick to recommend it as a great walk. Tongariro and Milford still take the cake for me as the best of the Great Walks.
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