Lower Taranaki Falls Track
- 2.0 mi
- one way
- 258 ft
- climb
- 3,949 ft
- high point
- Point to point
- route
Lower Taranaki Falls Track is a 2.0-mile point-to-point route in Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand, inside Tongariro National Park. It runs between about 3,600 ft and 3,950 ft above sea level, with roughly 260 ft of climbing one way. It is a well-made walking path, fine for most hikers. Most of the way is gravel. It is mapped as a named hiking route, with the sections joined into one trail here. The nearest town is Waimarino, about 9.3 miles east of the trailhead. Peaks within about 3 miles include Saddle Cone. Taranaki Falls and Punaruku Falls are within about 3 miles. For camping, Whakapapa Holiday Park and Discovery Lodge Tongariro are within about 6 miles. There are 6 other mapped trails within about 3 miles, so you can combine or extend the outing. Distances, elevations and the route shape here come from OpenStreetMap and the Copernicus 90 m elevation model. Trails, access rules and conditions change, so check locally before you go.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
Photo: Javier Sánchez Portero, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Mount Ngāuruhoe Summit Route
~9 min drive
An out-and-back trail, 1.0 miles each way (2.0 miles round trip) in Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand.
Photo: ogwen, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Tongariro Alpine Crossing
~10 min drive
A 12-mile point-to-point route in Waikato, New Zealand.
HIKE
Upper Tama Lakes Track
~3 min drive
An out-and-back trail, 2.6 miles each way (5.2 miles round trip) in Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand.
Photo: Eusebius@Commons, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Mount Tongariro Summit Route
~10 min drive
An out-and-back trail, 0.9 miles each way (1.8 miles round trip) in Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand.
HIKE
Ridge Track (unmarked)
~2 min drive
An out-and-back trail, 0.3 miles each way (0.6 miles round trip) in Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand.
HIKE
Dome Summit Track
~6 min drive
An out-and-back trail, 1.9 miles each way (3.8 miles round trip) in Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand.
Photo: Pseudopanax at en.wikipedia, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)Tokaanu Geothermal Walk
~33 min drive
A 0.4-mile loop in Waikato, New Zealand.
HIKE
Ridge Walk
~2 min drive
An out-and-back trail, 0.5 miles each way (0.9 miles round trip) in Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand.
Photo: Jesselawtonnz, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Waipakihi Middle Range Route
~37 min drive
An out-and-back trail, 1.2 miles each way (2.4 miles round trip) in Waikato, New Zealand.
HIKE
Whakapapanui Walk
~3 min drive
An out-and-back trail, 1.8 miles each way (3.7 miles round trip) in Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand.
Also worth it near here
Photo: Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Taranaki Falls
Next door
Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Whakapapa Holiday Park
~2 min drive
Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Whakapapa Holiday Park cabins and lodge
~3 min drive
Photo: Travel & Shit from Brighton, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Saddle Cone
~5 min drive
Photo: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Mount Ruapehu: Dome Summit Track (from Sky Waka Gondola gondola station)
~6 min drive
Conditions and forecast
Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at Lower Taranaki Falls Track for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
