A 2.5km walk or mountain bike ride to the top of Mt Kakaramea rewards you with breathtaking 360° views. This track starts with the easy Crater Lake Walk which takes you two crater lakes within about 15 minutes. From here, continue uphill through regenerating native bush and past the bare, colourful, steaming ridges. There are frequent opportunities to view the surrounding countryside, but to get the complete 360-degree picture, continue up to the summit for one of the best views in the area.  The summit is about 1.5 hours by foot from the crater lakes. Watch out for vehicles in the last 10 minutes to the top. From here you can see Mt Tarawera; Lakes Tarawera, Rotomahana and Rerewhakaaitu to the north; Paeroa Range to the west; the Te Urewera Ranges and Kaimanawa Forest to the east; and Mt Tauhara, Lake Taupo and the volcanic peaks of Tongariro National Park to the south.Access is free. There are toilet facilities at the beginning of the track. Rainbow Mountain lies 26 km south-east of Rotorua, beside SH 5 (the Rotorua-Taupo highway). Approaching from Rotorua, the carpark for the walking track is situated just past the turnoff for SH 38 (the Murupara/ Waikaremoana highway), on the left-hand side of the road.