Lake Tūtira, and it's neighbouring Lake Waikopiro, is home to an abundance of wildlife and is a popular fishing spot. Alongside the lake is the 463 ha Tūtira Regional Park, maintained by the Hawke's Bay Regional Council, which has an erosion control, sustainable land management programme in place.
The surrounding park offers picnicking and short-term camping space and there are numerous walking tracks which, at the higher points, provide splendid views across the lake and hill country to the Kaweka Range. For a longer walk, the Tūtira Walkway takes around five hours to complete and ascends to the Table Mountain trig station. The Tūtira Walkway is closed for lambing from 1 August until 30 September. For a smaller exploration, hit the Waikopiro Loop Track. This is 1.1km which takes 20 minutes and although short, you will see an abundance of native plants. Check the Department of Conservation website for trails status before setting out.
Boating, kayaking and swimming on the lake are popular, however watch for periodic algal blooms and 'duck itch' or 'swimmer’s itch' (caused by a snail-borne parasite) as these are health hazards – so please take note of water quality warning signs. Non-motorised boats only are permitted on the lake. Shelters, picnic and toilet facilities are available at the lake.
For centuries, Māori seasonally lived by Lake Tūtira, where you can still see the remains of the six pā sites to this day. The lake was declared a bird sanctuary in 1929 by William Herbert Guthrie-Smith, who was a Scottish farmer and author. There is an enormous range of birdlife at the lake: scaup, grey ducks, black swans, black shags, white-face herons, fantails – just to name a few.
There are two campgrounds at Lake Tūtira - one campsite is managed by the Department of Conservation and the other by Hawke's Bay Regional Council. The DOC campsite is free and open year round. The council campground is located approximately 950 m from the gateway. Charges apply and it needs to be booked ahead. Closed from 1 July - 30 September for lambing.