The Taranaki Falls Hike on Mt. Ruapehu is a great short walk. This hike is perfect if you only have a few hours at Whakapapa Village to explore the area.
When I first heard about this hike I was a bit confused. I live in Taranaki and thought it strange that one of the waterfalls on Mt. Ruapehu is call the Taranaki Falls hike. Well, the two volcanoes of Ruapehu and Taranaki, which can be seen from each other on a clear day, are connected in Maori lore. More about that another time. We did this hike on one of our first visits to Mt. Ruapehu during summer and have been back several times. This short hike includes a lot of bang for the buck and I’d recommend it.
Taranaki Falls Hike – Highlights and Logistics
Highlights – Mountain views, waterfall, beech forest, and river.
Location – Whakapapa Village at Mt. Ruapehu on North Island.
Length of Walk – Round trip loop, about 2 hours or 6 km
Difficulty – Easy
About the Taranaki Falls Hike
One of the things I like about this walk is that it’s a loop so you don’t retrace your steps and the start and finish are very close to each other. I prefer to take the lower loop out and return on the upper loop.
The track starts just down a side road from the DOC visitor centre at a small car park. The track crosses tussock and shrub slopes along a gentle climb or descent and eventually makes it way into the beech forest. The views along the open tussock slopes are incredible as you can look across to Mt. Ngaruhoe and see the immensity of the landscape.
The track drops down to a small stream in the forest, which it follows for some time. You can see the lovely stream from the track or sneak over for a better view. This beech forest is mainly comprised of mountain beech trees (one of the 5 beech species in the country).
The forest is home to many native birds, which you are more likely to hear than see. However, if you are quiet and observant you may see some native forest birds, including fantails, whitehead, grey warbler, and rifleman.
Soon the track emerges from the forest and crosses the stream at a gnarly gorge. While crossing the bridge take a look to the right down into the steep, narrow drop to the churning water underneath and be thankful for the bridge. After the bridge the trail follows along the other side of the river for a short time before you get your first views of Taranaki Falls.
Taranaki Falls drops 20 m down from some cliffs high above you into a large plunge pool at the base. The water then becomes the stream you walked along through the forest. There are nice spots to view the waterfall along the side of the track or you can gingerly make your way around to underneath the falls for a different perspective.
The track climbs a series of steps to the clifftops. You can walk along towards where the stream drops over the edge and get as close to the side as you dare…just be careful. The track itself then crosses over a stream and carries on across the tussock slopes.
Note – there is a toilet with cool camouflage painting on it at the top of the cliffs and near the trail junction that goes on to Tama Lakes.
The waterfall is about the halfway point of the hike and the walk back crosses a series of tussock slopes and eroded gullies. Before you know if you will see the Chateau Tongariro and know that you are almost back to where you started.
My Insider Tips to the Taranaki Falls Hike
Be sure to bring along a jacket as the open tussock slopes can get quite cold and windy. Or if you do this walk in winter, the forest will be chilly.
Regardless of what time of year you take this walk when you are done you can always stop into the Chateau Tongariro for a snack and drink when you are done. The Chateau has an amazing, large open room on the main floor with sofas, giant windows, a piano, and more. It’s a nice spot to soak in the luxury of this magnificent old hotel after a day out exploring.
There are some other nice walks in the area that are worth exploring – Silica Rapids, Tama Lakes, the Ridge Walk, and the Tongariro Crossing. A couple multi-day walks to really get the fell of the area are the Tongariro Northern Circuit or Around the Mountain.