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Lake Waikaremoana is located in Te Urewera National Park in the North Island of New Zealand, 60 kilometres northwest of Wairoa and 80 kilometres southwest of Gisborne. It covers an area of 54 km2.
The North Island's deepest lake (256 m deep), its surface is at an altitude of 600 metres above sea level. Other geographical features include Panekiri Bluff and Puketukutuku Peninsula, which is the site of a kiwi conservation programme. Surrounded as it is by mountains clad with native forest which has never been logged, it is widely regarded as the North Island's most attractive lake. Many native bird species scarce in most other parts of the North Island can be found in the area. A possum-hunting programme operates in the area to help protect the forest.
The lake lies in the heart of Tuhoe country. The hamlet of Āniwaniwa and the Waikaremoana Motor Camp are located on the lakeshore. There is also a Department of Conservation office.
Lake Waikaremoana is popular as a holiday destination by people who use the lake for fishing, tramping and other recreational activities. The Lake Waikaremoana Walk, one of New Zealand's "Great Walks", is a three- to four-day tramp which follows approximately half of the lake's circumference. Numbers of visitors to the area are mitigated by the unsealed road that must be taken to reach it.
The smaller Lake Waikareiti lies four kilometres to the northeast.
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