Lake Ohia Gumholes Reserve Walk: Walking Guide, Time & Access

Route overview

This short easy walk takes you through manuka scrub passing a series of excavated gumholes. A historical outing suitable for families.

This DOC directory entry covers Lake Ohia Gumholes Reserve Walk in Northland, within Karikari Peninsula. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.

Distance, time and grade

• Distance: Not confirmed on the checked DOC page; see individual route sections
• Walking time: 10 min return
• DOC grade: Easy

Access and alerts

Source checked 2026-10-08. This page is a dated snapshot, not a live track-status report. Check current DOC route information immediately before travelling. An absence of listed alerts does not establish that a route is open.

Dog access

Dogs with a DOC permit for recreational hunting or management purposes only. Other pets on conservation land rules.

Description

This short walk is metalled and connected with boardwalks. It loops through manuka scrub growing close to the track. The walk passes a series of holes excavated by gum diggers.

It's an ideal place to take the family on a historical outing. This site has multiple tables and shady areas, a perfect setting for a picnic.

Getting there

Lake Ohia is located on the Karikari Peninsula, about 41 km northeast of Kaitaia.

From Kaitaia, head north on SH1 until you reach Awanui, then turn right onto SH10. Continue on SH10 for 14.6 km, then turn left onto Inland Road and follow for 2 km. The Gumhole Reserve is signposted on your right, at a small roadside parking area.

Nature and conservation

Lake Ohia is an other-worldly place of charred stumps and gumland scrub that casts a strange sort of magic over you.

Lake Ohia is an ephemeral lake that usually dries out in summer and is wet in winter. Water is present for approximately two months of the year. Classified as a gum-field wetland, this former lake now provides important habitat for rare ferns, mosses and orchids.

The surrounding swamps and shrub land contain the threatened freshwater black mud fish and are home to many bird species.

Gumlands

Gumlands consist of shrub-covered, flat to rolling land mainly found in northern New Zealand, which have deposits of kauri gum.

Most remaining gumlands are centred in Kaitaia or Kaikohe. There are a number of layers of kauri logs lying buried in many parts of Northland. Preserved in swamps, these logs can reveal the fate of previous generations of kauri forests, tens of thousands of years ago.

History and culture

View and appreciate the massive amount of labour that went into the gum fields that were dug over by hundreds of workers when kauri gum replaced gold as New Zealand's most valuable export.

Throughout the walk you find information signs about the history of the site and nearby areas of significance.

A short detour off the main road will take you to this former lake bed. See the visible effects of gum-digging and, features ancient remains of a once thriving kauri forest that was drowned about 30,000 years ago, before the lake was formed.

In the late part of the last century, gum diggers made their presence felt in the Far North. Armies of fortune seekers settled just south of the area and hunted for a bounty of kauri gum. The fossilised resin from the kauri tree had become highly desirable as the backbone of varnish manufacturing..

Sources and reuse

Route descriptions and practical information reproduced from the Department of Conservation, Crown copyright, under CC BY 4.0, subject to DOC's copyright policy. Formatting has been adapted, including flattening page sections; follow the original DOC page for maps, section-specific layout, current notices and linked documents. Outdoor Next is independent and is not endorsed by DOC.

The accompanying photograph is a licensed general hiking illustration, not a photograph of this route.