The Urewera National Park is situated in the northeast of the Hawke’s Bay region on the North Island of New Zealand. This national park covers an area of 2,127 km² and is home to the Tuhoe people, one of New Zealand’s most traditional tribes. Often touted as one of the country’s most attractive national parks, the Te Urewera is home to lush forests, gorgeous lakes, meandering rivers and plenty of wildlife.

Established as a national park in July, 1954, the highlight of visiting the Urewera National Park has to be a trip to Lake Waikaremoana, where you can enjoy some excellent tramping around the lake as well as some top notch fishing. This park also protects one of the largest native forest areas on the North Island.

The Aniwaniwa visitor’s center sits on the shores of Lake Waikaremoana and is a great place to go visit especially if you are interested in hiking or tramping out here. You will find plenty of information as well as maps about the walking tracks available in the park and the accommodations on hand here.

The Lake Waikaremoana Track is one of the most popular walks on New Zealand’s North Island and takes between three to four days to complete. This 46 km tracks offers some fantastic views and magnificent panoramas of the lake as you walk along this path. You can attempt tramping here any time of the year, however, in the winter the weather can get quite cold and rainy so it is best to come here during the summer time. There are five huts as well as five camp sites on this track; however, to stay here you will need to book a place through the Department of Conservation desk at the visitor’s center. Some other popular walks in this park are the Whakatane River Round Trip and the Manuoha Waikareiti Track.

Hunting is also quite popular in this park with an abundant supply of boar and deer found here.