WBFA - Annual General Meeting has been set down for Thursday 6th November 2025 at 6pm at the Tatapouri Fishing Club

Please see Agenda below:

Please find attached a work notice regarding upcoming overnight full road closures on State Highway 38 (SH38) between Waikaremoana Holiday Park and Tuai.

These closures will be in place from Monday 1 December 2025 until Saturday 28 February 2026 for underslip repairs. It will be closed between 8pm and 6am Sunday night to Saturday morning (six nights each week) excluding public holiday weekends

There will be no work over the Christmas break so the road will be open from Thursday 18 December at 6am until Monday 5 January at 8pm. The road will be open during the day to keep the busy summer traffic moving.

You can find more details about the full road closures in the attached work notice and through our website link which will keep up to date programme information: SH38 Wairoa to Waikaremoana | NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi

Waikaremoana Boating & Fishing Association Family Fishing Day - Saturday 20th January 2024

Just a reminder if you are booked in for the Waikaremoana Family Fishing Day Competition to please get your entries in on line before the 17/1/2024 if you can.

More information on the FFD Page on website - or Facebook page

Media Release from Te Urewera Board regarding the re-opening of the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk - Dec 2023

The Waikaremoana Great Walk, which has been closed since February due to the impacts of flooding and severe weather damage sustained during Cyclone Gabrielle, will re-open on 10 January 2024, following an intensive repair and maintenance programme led by Tūhoe, supported by DOC and external contractors, and with assistance from community and volunteers.

Bookings are open now through the DOC booking system at the following link: https://bookings.doc.govt.nz/Saturn/Facilities/SearchViewGW.aspx?placeId=432

“We are delighted to welcome whānau and manuhiri (guests) to Waikaremoana for part of the summer season of 2024,” Te Urewera Board spokesperson Kirsti Luke said. “Our Wairoa, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay communities have had a difficult year, and we hope Te Urewera can offer recreation and relief.”

Te Urewera Board will attend the reopening on 10 January to acknowledge the Tūhoe teams, locals and support crews who have made the re-opening possible.  

Waikaremoana, including the Great Walk, was closed after the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle and excessive lake levels washed out tracks, flooded huts and dump stations, and caused significant damage to the Waiopāoa cable bridge, requiring a replacement. 

Te Uru Taumatua, the Tūhoe iwi authority which manages Te Urewera on behalf of Te Urewera Board, led the repair and maintenance programme. DOC contributed $550,000 from its cyclone recovery funding, as well as technical support with the replacement bridge. 

“The flooding was so extensive it wasn’t possible to even inspect the damage for a month after the cyclone,” Blair Waiwai from the Waikaremoana team said. “It has been a huge effort by our wider tribal teams within Te Uru Taumatua, with help from DOC, friends and external contractors, to get the Great Walk up to or better than DOC standards to re-open on January 10.”

 “We were also stoked that friends of Te Urewera pitched in to help,” said Chino Apiata, the Operations Group Manager for Te Uru Taumatua, “including volunteers from the New Zealand Back Country Trust who together repaired and refreshed Panekire hut, at the highest point of the Great Walk. We have all pulled together to re-open and welcome locals and manuhiri back.”   

The work programme includes;

• the repair and maintenance of the huts and staff quarters – Panekire, Waiopāoa, Maraunui/Marauiti and Waiharuru, 

• hut/campsites and facilities – exteriors and interiors, shelters, water supply and toilets 

• special purpose road repaired in Hopuruahine 

• maintenance to short walks and structures at Lake Waikaremoana to reinstate the range of visitor experiences available at Waikaremoana – Lake Waikareiti, Black Beech Walk, Tawa Walk.

Bookings for the Waikaremoana Great Walk can be made here: https://bookings.doc.govt.nz/Saturn/Facilities/SearchViewGW.aspx?placeId=432

Notes for editors

Te Urewera is the traditional homeland of the Tūhoe people. Legally it is the land that comprised the former Te Urewera National Park, and has its own legal identity as recognised under Te Urewera Act 2014. In effect the land owns itself. It is governed by Te Urewera Board, which speaks on behalf of Te Urewera. Day to day management of Te Urewera is carried out by Te Uru Taumatua, the Tūhoe iwi authority, on behalf of Te Urewera Board.

Te Urewera Board

 Te Urewera Board consists of six members appointed by Tūhoe and three members appointed by the Crown. Its members represent the interests of Te Urewera rather than the appointing bodies, and decisions are required to be made by consensus. Te Urewera Board speaks for the legal personality of Te Urewera and exercises legal authority over the area under Te Urewera Act 2014. 

Te Urewera Act

 Te Urewera Act sets out the legal personality of Te Urewera. The purposes of Te Urewera Act are to:

• strengthen and maintain the connection between Tūhoe and Te Urewera; 

• preserve the natural features and beauty of Te Urewera, the integrity of its indigenous ecological systems and biodiversity, and its historical and cultural heritage; and

• provide for Te Urewera as a place for public use and enjoyment, for recreation, learning, and spiritual reflection, and as an inspiration for all, subject to any conditions and restrictions necessary to achieve the purposes of the Act or for public safety.

Lake Waikaremoana Update - April 2023

• Road to Lake is open

• Walks - please read attached flyers on what is closed and open

• Holiday Park is open & taking online bookings, however if the online says closed, the shop has recommended that you contact them via phone line

• Launching boats from the boat ramp is fine, the lake level is low enough

• Moored boats is all okay - to travel up and use 

• The urewera is open for hunting

Latest WBFA AGM Meeting Minutes & Committee Meeting Minutes from 12th September 2022 are now available under the Home/Meeting Minutes tab for your review.

Please also note - Lake Waikaremoana Tuhoe Office/Whare contact phone number - 06 837 3900 (as per in Committee Meeting Minutes)

Media Release from Tuhoe - 29 January 2022 - Re-Opening of Lake Waikaremoana Notice

Media Release from Tuhoe - 22nd November 2021

23 November 2021

To all WBFA Members

If you had not seen the TVNZ Breakfast show this morning, the news that we have all just heard from an interview held between Tamati Kruger and Jenny-May Clarkson, is that the Te Urewera's will be closed until the end of January 2022.

Unfortunately this means that Lake Waikaremoana will not be reopening and therefore with regret we will not be able to hold our Family Fishing Day competition in 2022.

We will continue to work with Tuhoe and DOC, however it is not an issue we can resolve at present with these uncertain times with COVID around.

Regards

WBFA Committee

5th November 2021

Hi all WBFA Members

On Wednesday night the WBFA Committee Members all met up to discuss latest issues with Lake and up-coming events.

On Tuesday 9th November 3 or 4 WBFA Committee members will be attending a hui in Taneatua with Crown & Tuhoe.  We as a committee have built up a good strong link/rapport with Tuhoe Reps which hopefully we can continue in the future.

The Committee hope to have some information from this hui on when the Lake will re-open to public.  At this stage the intention given from Tuhoe Reps is to have the lake open prior to Christmas.

Our AGM has been put on hold due to Covid restrictions/delays, but hope to hold this once we have more information on the Lake open date and covid restrictions easing further.

We do apologies for the lack of information to members up until now and will keep you up to date with further details after Tuesday next week.

Regards

WBFA Committee

ALERT LEVEL 2 LOCKDOWN IN TE UREWERA - September 2021

Here is updated information from Te Urewera (Tuhoe) - with regards to Lake Waikaremoana Boat & Tramping users

The Gisborne Herald Article - 30 July 2021

Here's is a recent story from The Gisborne Herald on 30th July about a hui that Committee Members attended at Lake Waikaremoana with Tuhoe Representatives

 2021 January 26th Update - Treating Te Urewera with manaaki (kindness):

 Map Only Image

Email Contact:  waikaremoanabfa@gmail.com

Facebook Page: Waikaremoana Boating & Fishing Association

Thank you to our sponsor - Russell Holland from WebFoot Websites www.webfoot.nz (email: rus@webfoot.nz) for your assistance with this website page

Extention to replies with regards to an email that was sent to all WBFA members on 12th August - requesting feedback by 23/08/21 to 30/08/21.  We have had low responses to this email - so please we are asking as lake users to have your say on the future, of how we want to enjoy this privilege - please reply to this message below:

Hello to all WBFA members

Over the last month we have had two meetings with Kirsti Luke and Tamati Kruger from Tuhoe and the results have been getting a better understanding between us.

At the last meeting Kirsti asked if we the WBFA could prioritise what is the most important issue's facing us, so we can build Tikanga around these separate issues.

They are not going to be dealt with all at once, as she explained, it has to be taken back to iwi.

So we are here to ask you, our members, what are your priorities ???

Kirsti requires an email from us (David Parker) before the end of this month, before their next iwi hui, to enable these to be tabled and considered.

Therefore can we please have your thoughts and feedback sent to David on his email before the 24/9/2021 :- david@evansfuneral.co.nz

Examples could be:

Freedom Camping sites for this upcoming summer period;

Where can we stop around the lake to light a fire (smoke a trout) etc...;

Pontoon up grades;

Utility shed painting/up grade;

Danger markers;

Day shelters/ Permanent or for the day

etc...etc... etc...

Also at the last meeting with Kirsti and Tamati, it was agreed they would come to one of our meetings (with all members invited) for a discussion and general get together for everyone to get an understanding before the summer season begins.

We will set a date out in advance for this as being a priority, so everyone knows the Tikanga, not rule’s, regarding the use of Lake Waikaremoana.

Regards

WBFA Committee