Tongariro field notes
Tongariro & Mangatepōpō

Lake Rotopounamu Track

Easy Half day

A gentle loop through tall forest around a greenstone-coloured crater lake with sandy beaches and lots of birds.

5.0 kmloop
2 hr loopwalking time
↑ 377 mclimb
760 mhigh point
DOC page ↗
Lake Rotopounamu Track Lake Rotopounamu Track © Mike Dickison · CC BY 4.0
Rotopounamu MRD 03 © Mike Dickison · CC BY 4.0

Elevation profile

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What you’ll see

  1. 1
    Rotopounamu MRD 02
    Lake· 713 m Lake Rotopounamu
  2. 2
    Lake Rotoaira 03
    Viewpoint· 564 m Lake Rotoaira lookout
Podocarp forestCrater lakeBeaches

The walk

Twenty minutes of easy climbing through forest reaches the lake, then a flat loop circles it with beaches, boardwalks and viewpoints to Pihanga. Kākā, robins and riflemen are common.

Start. SH47, Te Ponanga Saddle (11 km from Tūrangi)

Snow & season

Rarely snowy

Below the snow line.

Best season: All year

Live forecast →
Nearby

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