The rustic Dam Village Bakery Café is the ideal spot to grab a coffee and a scone, or an All-Day Breakfast before starting the Maraetai Trail that begins adjacent to the Whakamaru Dam. As you head through the grounds of the Whakamaru switching station, the trail gently winds high above the river through a pine tree lined pathway next to farmland as sheep and stock graze. As the trail gradually descends, and you head deeper into forest and farmland, you’ll enjoy spectacular views of the river, rolling hills and landscape along the way. The trail is surrounded with native Totara and Manuka and alive with the sounds of birdsong and nature, as it winds its way toward the magnificent Mangakino Suspension Bridge which is the mid-way point between Whakamaru and Mangakino. The 70-metre-long suspension bridge hangs 12 metres above the river, providing stunning views of the river and forest. Continue following the forest trail as it descends to river level, and stop for a rest to capture the moment in the photographic viewing frame on the water’s edge at Lake Maraetai – one of the deepest of the seven man-made lakes on the Waikato River. The next section follows the lake edge through a pathway and boardwalk sections that are lush with thousands of native trees.