UNDER THE MOUNTAIN
Sarah Ell — somewhat reluctantly — shares the secret of glamping at Lake Tarawera.
Ihave camped twice before at Lake Tarawera: once on an ill-fated school trip, and for a magical Easter about a decade ago, when a group of friends and I kayaked across the lake. Both times were unique and memorable, sleeping beneath the presence of the ominous mountain looming over the lake. This time I was experiencing it in comfort — quite a bit more comfort.
Water-taxi and tour operators Totally Tarawera, run by husband-and-wife team David and Karen Walmsley, have opened two glamping sites along the Tarawera Trail, a 15km walk that runs from near the Buried Village to the hot springs at the eastern end of the lake. We get the chance to experience both, with a night at each.
David picks us up from the Tarawera Landing in the late afternoon, and we head off by water taxi towards the violet bulk of the mountain. It’s about a 15-minute trip before we are deposited gently on the beach just around a rocky headland from the small DoC campsite at Te Rata hot springs. The Walmsleys have worked closely with DoC to gain a concession to establish a glampsite here