Mt Karioi

Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

In legend, Mt Karioi (756m), the Sleeping Lady (check out that profile), is the sister to Mt Pirongia. At its base (8km south of Whale Bay), Te Toto Gorge is a steep cleft in the mountainside, with a vertigo-inducing lookout perched high over the chasm. Starting from the Te Toto Gorge car park, the strenuous but scenic Te Toto Track goes up the western slope. It takes 2½ hours to reach a lookout point, followed by an easier hour to the summit.

From the eastern side, the Wairake Track is a steeper 2½-hour climb to the summit, where it meets the Te Toto Track.

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