What a disappointment!! The walk along the new track was great, it was new, had good signage and toilets along the way, well done, plenty of money spent on that. Nice stop on the lakeside along the way. However the pleasure of it all ended when we got to the lake. No signs...where do we go? Tried along the beach but that ended at the water, then we ended up wandering in the trees along goat tracks that were not marked and through a bit of litter left behind by lazy campers till we reached the campsite. Don't understand why the rest was so well marked and then a FAIlL when we got near the destination. The campsite was fine but the lake was a huge disappointment. Out front of the campsite it was full of lakeweed. People had pulled loads of it into piles which were decaying and it just looked rank. Some kids showed us their very nasty rashes all over their legs that they said they got from the lakeweed, very nasty, really there should have been a warning it was so painful looking. So no soaking in front of the campsite. Further down where there is no weed, it was very shallow and either too hot from the the water coming out of the sand or too cold. it really wasn't somewhere as they had advertised as having a soak in the warm waters. You could only stand in it and try and find a patch that didn't burn your feet. It was either too cold or too hot. We took the water taxi out the next day and they took us to some other hot pools. This was created by a small dam and very pleasant but was many other boaties were there it was very crowded and it was only about knee high in depth so it was like being in a warm bath with a lot of people. It appears the advertising of this spot sounds idyllic soaking in natural hot water springs in nature on a lakeside. The reality is not, slimy weed, shallow water, burn your feet. Everyone in the campsite said that it was Ok if you were spending your time there if you had a boat and did some waterskiing but just for the hot pools, nope not the place to go. Definately wouldn't recommend it. I believe this place has been quite falsely advertised.
Rating: 2/10
Joanne -
29th April 2014

There is a new walking trail to get there. It's about four to five hours. This is from the NZ Herald [source]:

What is billed as being one of New Zealand's best walks will open this weekend, with upwards of 30,000 hikers per year expected. The Tarawera Trail will make the favourite picnic and camping spot of Hot Water Beach on the edge of Lake Tarawera now available for walkers and hikers - albeit with a little effort.

The collaborative project has taken over nine years of negotiations and development, with 11km of trail from the Te Wairoa car park to Te Rata Bay (Hot Water Beach) now complete. The one-way walk is expected to take moderately fit walkers around 4-5 hours to complete.

The Tarawera Trail was built in partnership between the Department of Conservation and several private Maori land blocks that border Lake Tarawera and the Te Wairoa Valley.

Tarawera Trail Trust trustee Te Ohu Mokai Wi Kingi says the opening of the trail is a great asset for Rotorua with the trail set to become one of New Zealand's greatest walks.

"The volcanic backdrop, geothermal features of the lake, surrounding bush and cultural and historic stories make this trail one of a kind.

"We're expecting 33,000 people a year to walk the trail - or around 90 people per day." Panels along the trail will educate walkers and hikers about the history and ecology of the area. "The trail is a perfect addition to the region as it has a low impact on the environment and ensures tangata whenua, as kaitiaki of the area, continue the stories of their forefathers." In October this year the trail was honoured by the gift of a carved wooden Pou, Ohomairangi, by Tourism New Zealand and Te Puia|NZMACI, acknowledging the local hapu, Ngati Hinemihi and Tuhourangi's significant contribution in establishing New Zealand's tourism industry.

Ngati Hinemihi and Tuhourangi were New Zealand's very first hosts, welcoming and guiding domestic and international visitors to the Pink and White Terraces on Lake Tarawera.

The official opening powhiri and ribbon cutting is on December 14 with the trail open to walkers and hikers on 15 December.

The Tarawera Trail is the first of the proposed network of trails, planned for development in the future, involving DOC and Maori private land owners to connect the 14 Te Arawa Lakes in this area.
Rating: 10/10
Diana Clement - Devonport
12th December 2013

Based at a DOC water access only campsite at the southern end of Lake Tarawera. Popular with families with water taxi access. Water edge is thermal. There is a hot stream merging with the lake water surrounded with rocks that form the actual pool. Can cook trout in the nearby sand. There is a small rock edge and stream thermal pools nearby.
Rating: -/10
David Walmsley - Rotorua New Zealand
31th December 2011

we have been coming here for years now and absolutly love it. for us it is definatly our family holiday spot. we love jumoping off the rocks around in the next bay and sitting in the hot natural spa. an awesome spot to relax, wakeboard, ski, skurf and just swim. if your up for the challenge swim to the boy about 200m out. overall of the best places in new zealand!!!!
Rating: 10/10
jaz reid - Te Puke
15th May 2008

We have been going to Lake Tarawera for holidays for more than 10 years. We are waterskiers so for us one of the highlights is a soak in warm/hot water after a days skiing to soothe the worn out bodies.
Rating: 10/10
Ann - Wellington NZ
23th March 2006

We are so lucky to have a place to warm up after a hard day tramping so its not a spa pool it is nature at its best
Rating: 5/10
Sean -
11th August 2005