© Mike Dickison · CC BY 4.0 Tongariro & Mangatepōpō
Lake Rotopounamu Track
Easy 5.0 kmloop 2 hr loop ↑ 377 m
Lake · Tongariro & Mangatepōpō
Lake Rotopounamu
713 m WaterForest
A greenstone-coloured forest lake in a volcanic crater on the slopes of Pihanga.
A gentle loop in tall podocarp forest circles a lake with sandy beaches and no outlet. Kākā, riflemen and North Island robins are common and the Long Beach is a fine lunch spot. Near Tūrangi, and a good option when the mountains are in cloud.
Lake Rotopounamu © Mike Dickison · CC BY 4.0 
© Mike Dickison · CC BY 4.0 Tracks that reach Lake Rotopounamu
© Mike Dickison · CC BY 4.0 Also nearby
Mangatepōpō Valley © Geoff McKay · CC BY 2.0 
© Porcinno Rondus · CC BY 3.0 
© Michal Klajban · CC BY-SA 4.0 Lava landscape· 1,200 m · Tongariro & Mangatepōpō
Mangatepōpō Valley
A glacial valley floored with young lava flows beneath the cone of Ngāuruhoe.
Springs· 1,400 m · Tongariro & Mangatepōpō
Soda Springs
A cold spring seeping from the base of a lava flow, surrounded by alpine wildflowers in summer.
Crater· 1,660 m · Tongariro & Mangatepōpō
South Crater
A flat, silent moonscape between Ngāuruhoe and Tongariro.