Cruising Around the Wild and Wonderful Lake Waikaremoana

Wild weather, waterfalls and rainbows

As we start catching some speed on the lake, we start to see the weather acting all kinds of crazy. One moment, it’s a dry and cloudy day, then the next moment David is shouting: “The Children of the Mist are being naughty!” We’re to find out who the “Children of the Mist” are later, but whoever they are, they’re creating a white haze of rain between the mountains in front of us – straight where we are heading. Nevertheless, we are not made of sugar so this doesn’t stop us in our path, especially considering we have a majestic waterfall tumbling in the lake straight ahead of us. David takes us in for a much closer look! We sit on the front of the boat and feel the refreshing spray of the waterfall on our faces. Distinct diagonal layers of rock create a stunning canvas for the waterfall. If this place didn’t already seem like a fairy tale land, a full rainbow is forming right behind us creating an archway right over one arm of the lake. Magic!

A land before time

David gets a call over the radio to pick up some hikers at a nearby hut, so our next destination is decided for us. As we ride into an inlet of the lake, the engine of the motor quieting down for a slow approach, our ears are filled with the sound of birds in the native forest. The water is so still, yet the forest looks so wild that we feel like we have been transported back to a land before time. If a dinosaur jumped out of the forest, we would not be surprised.

Getting a closer look at this awesome waterfall

Visiting the underwater forest

After picking up our hikers, David is taking us a new spot now, handing over some polarised sunglasses. Apart from looking cool as hell, polarised lenses allow us to see objects under the water’s surface more clearly. The boat slowly circles around an area of the lake, sending the water away from the centre of the circle as to calm the water in the centre. Then we see them: tree stumps under the water! Three or four of them seem super close to the surface, yet David informs us that they are actually 25 feet under!

We head onto the next petrified forest, this time seeing the last remaining tree stump sticking out of the lake. This sturdy tree is thousands of years old and new life hangs onto it with a few small plants using it as a base. We circle around it trying to get the best photos of it.

Maori legends told by a pro

Next stop, the Waiharuru Hut! Although we are not picking any hikers up here, it’s worth the stop to check out the scenic swingbridge and meet the hut warden, Bill. Indeed, the swingbridge crossing a tiny arm of the lake surrounded by lush rainforest makes for some awesome photo opportunities, but it has to be said that listening to Bill tell the Maori legend of how Lake Waikaremoana was formed is a highlight of this stop. The Maori really have a special skill for telling stories, and Bill is no different. He starts the tale with a powerful chant in the Maori language, te reo Maori, then mixes the tale with both te reo Maori and English so we can understand it. He puts his heart and soul into the story, and if you ever want to hear it for yourself, and find out more about the “Children of the Mist” come meet the locals around Lake Waikaremoana!