Tarawera is the trophy lake of the Rotorua district — deep, clear and cooler than Rotorua, it grows the biggest rainbows around, fish that hold over the cold springs and run the tributaries in season. Much of it is boat-access fishing, jigging and trolling the drop-offs and working the stream mouths and the hot-water beaches, with fly fishing the cold-water inflows. A scenic, big-fish lake under a famous mountain.
A deep, clear lake beneath the riven dome of Mount Tarawera, whose 1886 eruption reshaped this whole country. Cooler and deeper than its neighbours, it grows the largest rainbows of the district, fish that hold over the cold springs and gather at the stream mouths and the famous hot-water beaches.
Wading: Deep cold lake, sudden weather, boat access fishing — caution
A successful spring smelt spawning run is directly linked by Fish & Game to well-conditioned trout later in the year — the lake's food base is baitfish-led rather than insect-led, and no separate hatch calendar has been documented.
- Lake
- Volcanic
- Stillwater
- River mouth