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Location & access
DOC track reference point, not a verified trailhead, entrance or the whole route. Check the official route directions before travel.
Official location informationLocation source
DOC track reference point, not a verified trailhead, entrance or the whole route.
Reference point: -39.54318, 174.56799. WGS84 coordinates retained at the official service's returned precision; decimal resolution is not survey accuracy. Source positional accuracy is not specified.
DOC Maps walking and tramping reference point (WGS84), exact official-page GUID / Department of Conservation. Checked 2026-10-12.
Key facts
- Distance
- 1.5 km loop
- Walking time
- 40 mins
- Track grade
- Easy
- Location
- Hāwera area
- Dog access
- Dogs with a DOC permit for recreational hunting or management purposes only. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Checked against official sources on 8 October 2026. Rules and conditions are set by Department of Conservation — confirm with them before you go.
Route overview
This track meanders around a bend above Lake Rotorangi, the longest man-made lake in New Zealand.
This DOC directory entry covers Lake Rotorangi Hydro Walkway in Taranaki, within Hāwera area. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.
Distance, time and grade
- Distance: 1.5 km loop
- Walking time: 40 mins
- 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
Begin this track by crossing the Patea Dam at the base of lake Rotorangi.
If you're heading clockwise, you’ll climb gradually up through nikau and tawa forest to the highest point on the track where there are views north over part of Lake Rotorangi. There are seats throughout the walk. From here, the track passes through a grove of tawhairauriki/black beech trees. It then descends to the lake, following the lake edge back to the dam.
Getting there
This track starts at the Patea Hydro Dam on Rotorangi road. This is around 1 hours’ drive from Hawera township.
Head south from Hawera on SH3 for 19 kilometres and turn left onto Ball road.
From the end of Ball road, turn left onto Maben road and follow the signs to the dam. The roads from here are all unsealed.
The road then passes through private farmland before reaching the carpark. Leave gates as you find them.
Know before you go
Toilets located at the campground. These are run by the South Taranaki District Council.
Nature and conservation
Lowland forest with black beech, nikau palm and tawa.
History and culture
The track crosses the Patea Dam. This was built between 1979 and 1984 to supply electricity to the Taranaki area.
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.
