Waikaremoana Holiday Park — Hotel in North Island

A night here at Lake Waikaremoana affords you the chance to relax in Aotearoas last great wilderness. Set on a calm and tranquil bay of Lake Waikaremoana, the Park is a well set out and clean place. The little shop is well stocked with Hot Pies, Cold Drinks and lots of other Camp Store type stuff. Theres also a Petrol and Diesel pump. Both 91 and 95 offered. However be prepared to pay for it! $0.75 more then what you would pay in Rotorua. ||I booked online through the website just after lunch - I noted I was going to arrive roughly 5.30pm. I did try to ring several times to reconfirm the booking as I drove from Rotorua to Murupara, but I couldn't seem to get any answer.||I arrived at 5.10pm to find everything shut. No information and with no coverage it was impossible to ring. The website said that the Summer hours had the Reception open until 6pm. However due to it being so quiet, I assume they must have reverted to winter hours early. Around the corner was a sign indicating a after hours letterbox. I assumed there would be a envelope or something for me in there. Nope. I rang the intercom but no answer. I rang it about 10 times over 10mins to no avail. I knocked on the doors and still no answer. Another 20 mins of trying and I was starting to freak out. Luckily someone heard my knocking and the door was answered by a very friendly apologetic lady. My booking hadn't even been allocated. But she sorted it with no fuss and have me solid directions and my keys to my Fishermans Cabin. She was very apologetic and how can you complain when you get a nice warm welcome like that! :)||My Fishermans Cabin was located in a block of around 4, right on the lakes edge. Meters away from the nearest Amenities block and the Kitchen, location was perfect. Cabin was a 5 berth one, with two bunks and another single one. Lovely windows over the lake, and there is also a lovely big window high up that let's in lots of light. There is a small fridge, a microwave and a jug. No plates, cups or utensils though, and this is well informed on the website. There is a small table and 2 chairs. Mattresses were comfortable, however the bunks were really narrow. It was a chilly night, but the small heater did well to take the edge off it. ||The amenities block was very clean, and well stocked with loo paper and hand soap. The holiday park was really empty, which made for a very nice quiet night. The Lake is right there, so great for a walk along the shores in the drizzle. No Spark coverage, have heard that there maybe Vodafone and 2degrees coverage but cannot confirm. Nearest Spark coverage is at Onepoto at the Wairoa end of the Lake. ||Worth a mention is the road, as it can be hard to find the latest Road Conditions. They can change at the drop of a hat, especially in heavy spells of rain ect. On a visit years ago, the road had just been graded so it was perfect. ||On this visit I came in from Waiotapu, and through Ruatahuna and also returned that way. It is the longest way in, with well over 70kms of Gravel. The road in from Wairoa is far shorter.||The road was in really good nick from Te Waiti to Aniwaniwa, with the odd stretches of corrugated gravel and pot holes. But really not to bad. Take it slow and you'll have no dramas. I was in a low slung car and had no issues. ||However the gravel stretches of road between Ngaputahi and Te Waiti through Ruatahuna is a shocker. Severely rutted and corrugated with pot holes everywhere. Needs some serious attention. But again, take it slow, and you will be fine. Allow 3 - 3.5hrs from Rotorua to Waikaremoana and you'll be sweet. There is talk of sealing the road. But the local Iwi have reservations on this. Mixed feelings on this. Would love to see more people experience Te Urewera, and a sealed road would allow people to do just that. But the Gravel road does keep the idiots out to put it bluntly. The people who do travel to Te Urewera, want to be there and have made the effort to do so. The getting there is half the fun really, and I wouldnt think even being sealed that it would make the trip much faster, it's still a narrow winding road. ||5 stars for this paradise in the amazing whenua of Te Urewera. The Camp ground is run by very friendly people who keep the place very clean and well...

A night here at Lake Waikaremoana affords you the chance to relax in Aotearoas last great wilderness. Set on a calm and tranquil bay of Lake Waikaremoana, the Park is a well set out and clean place. The little shop is well stocked with Hot Pies, Cold Drinks and lots of other Camp Store type stuff. Theres also a Petrol and Diesel pump. Both 91 and 95 offered. However be prepared to pay for it! $0.75 more then what you would pay in Rotorua.

I booked online through the website just after lunch - I noted I was going to arrive roughly 5.30pm. I did try to ring several times to reconfirm the booking as I drove from Rotorua to Murupara, but I couldn't seem to get any answer.

I arrived at 5.10pm to find everything shut. No information and with no coverage it was impossible to ring. The website said that the Summer hours had the Reception open until 6pm. However due to it being so quiet, I assume they must have reverted to winter hours early. Around the corner was a sign indicating a after hours letterbox. I assumed there would be a envelope or something for me in there. Nope. I rang the intercom but no answer. I rang it about 10 times over 10mins to no avail. I knocked on the doors and still no answer. Another 20 mins of trying and I was starting to freak out. Luckily someone heard my knocking and the door was answered by a very friendly apologetic lady. My booking hadn't even been allocated. But she sorted it with no fuss and have me solid directions and my keys to my Fishermans Cabin. She was very apologetic and how can you complain when you get a nice warm welcome like that! :)

My Fishermans Cabin was located in a block of around 4, right on the lakes edge. Meters away from the nearest Amenities block and the Kitchen, location was perfect. Cabin was a 5 berth one, with two bunks and another single one. Lovely windows over the lake, and there is also a lovely big window high up that let's in lots of light. There is a small fridge, a microwave and a jug. No plates, cups or utensils though, and this is well informed on the website. There is a small table and 2 chairs. Mattresses were comfortable, however the bunks were really narrow. It was a chilly night, but the small heater did well to take the edge off it.

The amenities block was very clean, and well stocked with loo paper and hand soap. The holiday park was really empty, which made for a very nice quiet night. The Lake is right there, so great for a walk along the shores in the drizzle. No Spark coverage, have heard that there maybe Vodafone and 2degrees coverage but cannot confirm. Nearest Spark coverage is at Onepoto at the Wairoa end of the Lake.

Worth a mention is the road, as it can be hard to find the latest Road Conditions. They can change at the drop of a hat, especially in heavy spells of rain ect. On a visit years ago, the road had just been graded so it was perfect.

On this visit I came in from Waiotapu, and through Ruatahuna and also returned that way. It is the longest way in, with well over 70kms of Gravel. The road in from Wairoa is far shorter.

The road was in really good nick from Te Waiti to Aniwaniwa, with the odd stretches of corrugated gravel and pot holes. But really not to bad. Take it slow and you'll have no dramas. I was in a low slung car and had no issues.

However the gravel stretches of road between Ngaputahi and Te Waiti through Ruatahuna is a shocker. Severely rutted and corrugated with pot holes everywhere. Needs some serious attention. But again, take it slow, and you will be fine. Allow 3 - 3.5hrs from Rotorua to Waikaremoana and you'll be sweet. There is talk of sealing the road. But the local Iwi have reservations on this. Mixed feelings on this. Would love to see more people experience Te Urewera, and a sealed road would allow people to do just that. But the Gravel road does keep the idiots out to put it bluntly. The people who do travel to Te Urewera, want to be there and have made the effort to do so. The getting there is half the fun really, and I wouldnt think even being sealed that it would make the trip...

NO FREE WIFI, NO WIFI AT ALL. BE WARNED. Despite the picturesque landscapes and well-maintained bathrooms and kitchen, my overall experience was highly disappointing. Arriving at 5 pm, the reception, which should have been open until 6 pm, was already closed. Despite numerous attempts to contact them via phone and ringing the bell, I received no response. Adding to the frustration, there was no phone coverage or the promised free wifi as advertised on their website. Additionally, the on-site payphone was not functional. The culmination of no reception assistance, lack of wifi, and phone coverage prevented me from reaching my sister, who was worried about a previous situation, leading to her contacting the police. The following morning, the receptionist urgently knocked on my car window, informing me that the police were looking for me and that I needed to contact my worried sister promptly. Neither my sister nor I could sleep well that night due to the heightened concern. To exacerbate matters, the staff treated my sister rudely. When she called and requested assistance in locating me on their premises, they showed resistance and were uncooperative, adding to the overall...