14 Easy, Beautiful Day Walks in Tongariro National Park, New Zealand

Everyone knows and comes to the Tongariro National Park to do the best one-day walk in the world, the Tongariro Crossing, but that isn’t all Tongariro National Park has to offer. Tongariro National Park provides numerous walks that cater to all ages and fitness levels. You’ll need more than a day to explore them all. You can either drive or catch shuttles from the National Park; your accommodation may also offer this service. Your first stop should be the iSite, where you can get information on the walks. The site also provides information on the history of volcanic activity, as well as the local flora and fauna.

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Walks in Tongariro National Park

Whakapapa Village Walks

These first tracks are shorter and the easiest walks in Tongariro National Park, and are located near Whakapapa Village. Although they are easy, the views are still well worth the effort.

The Ridge Track

The Ridge Track is a 40-minute return one-way walk. It’s a great short walk, just 150m up from the Visitor Centre. It’s uphill 600m, but you have great views of Tongariro and Ngauruhoe, especially from two-thirds of the way up. The views are even better from the top, as you can see forever.

The first half of the track passes through the beech forest before opening out into the alpine scrubland. From here, you have steps helping you up the incline. It’s also a popular spot for sunsets.

Whakapapa Nature Walk

The Whakapapa Nature Walk is a 15-minute loop walk that is wheelchair- and stroller-friendly. Here, you can see the park’s unique alpine plants and the surrounding landscape. It starts 250m above the Visitor Centre opposite the fire station.

It has information panels on the area’s plants, and a side track will take you down to the Whakapapanui Stream. The side track has steps and uneven ground, which isn’t suitable for strollers or wheelchairs.

The Mounds Walk

The Mounds Walk is a 20-minute return, and it is here that you have great views of Mt. Ruapehu and the surrounding area. It’s 5km back down the road and well signposted on the left-hand side. The mounds refer to giant mounds of volcanic debris. You can walk up to the lookout on one of the mounds for great 360° views.

Tawhai Falls Walk

Tawhai Falls is a 13-m drop and a 20-minute return walk. It’s another great one for the kids. It’s located 4km back down the road from the Village. Again, it is well signposted. Although it’s on the right-hand side of the road, you can also park on the left-hand side. One of the best waterfalls, it’s also the location of Gollum’s pool from The Lord of the Rings.

The first lookout at the top of the falls shows the colour of the surroundings and water.

The track is good, but at the river, you have stairs and rocks, which most, including myself, found challenging.

The following are longer walks in Tongariro National Park near the Whakapapa Village.

Whakapapanui Walk

In wet or fine weather, the Whakapapanui Walk is a good option. This walk starts from the same area as the Whakapapa Nature Walk, or 3km back down the road from the Village. It’s a 6km, two-hour walk that can be completed as a loop. You can either return to where you started using the highway or return the same way. You will be following the Whakapapanui Stream, passing through more Beech forest and alpine wetlands.

If you walk back on the highway, you’ll have great views of Mt. Ngauruhoe and Tongariro to keep you company on your walk.

Silica Rapids Walk

Silica Rapids Walk also has two entrances. The first is 250m above the Visitor Centre and should take about 2.5 hours to return. The other is 2.5km up Bruce Road, where there is a car park, which cuts 3km off the 7km walk.

The walk from above the iSite is from the same place as the other two above. When you are on the Whakapapanui Walk, you come to a T-intersection where you can go right to Silica Rapids or turn left for a 5-minute walk out.

There is so much to see on this walk, including a stretch of water known as Golden Rapids. You can also see this on the Whakapapanui Track, but it is more easily visible here.

On this walk, you pass through more Beech forests, sub-alpine plants and wetlands up on the Alpine Bog. Going across the bog, you use a boardwalk, so make sure you stay on it. It is from here that you have a perfect view of Mt Ruapehu.

It’s still about another half-hour after crossing over the Waikare stream, and you haven’t stopped seeing the sights on this walk either.

Next is the Rusty Rocks. Back on the boardwalk, you can really see the rust on the rocks. This is caused by the iron in the water and the oxygen in the air.

Not long after, you start to see the yellow mineral-laden waters cascading down and then the terraces of Silica Rapids. From here, you have a lookout over the terraced waters.

After that, you can go up to the Bruce Road, which is only 45 minutes away, and walk down the road and back to Whakapapa Village.

Taranaki Falls

Taranaki Falls features an impressive drop of 20 meters. A two-hour loop walk, it has two entrances, both on Ngauruhoe Terrace behind the Chateau Tongariro. The first on the left-hand side is the Lower Falls Track. This has steps and a rough track, but also offers glimpses of Mt. Ruapehu before heading into the beech forest and walking alongside the stream in parts.

Once you get to the falls, you have great views of the waterfall. It is here that you can go swimming in the pool. If you continue along the track, you will encounter steep steps; however, it is recommended to head to the Upper track instead.

At the top of this track, you can go back or take the track to Tama Lakes. It’s another hour and a half away, and then another hour to the Upper Lake. Remember, if you go onto Tama Lakes from here, it will be another 3-4 hours before you get back.

The track is much easier on the way back to Whakapapa Village. First, you can see the Wairere stream going down to the falls. The track then leads you past old lava flows and magnificent views of Mt. Ruapehu.

It takes less than an hour to return to Whakapapa Village, with only about 5 minutes in the bush.

Tama Lakes

Tama Lakes is one of the longer day walks, at 5-6 hours. As an extension of the Tama Lakes track, you can do this track after seeing Taranaki Falls.

Once you have reached the turnoff, it’s still an hour-and-a-half walk to the Lower Lake, and it’s all uphill (and stairs) for the next 20 minutes.

Along the way, you pass over small streams that you can jump over or negotiate with a couple of steps. There is a water crossing, and you should check with i-Site to see if there is any or a lot of water crossing here.

When you come across the lower lake, it’s a surprise. After all the walking along the track, you come out onto a large area that looks down on the lake. This is also a good spot to grab a bite to eat.

I didn’t go up to Upper Tama Lake. The climb up isn’t a track, and you follow the poles up to the ridge. No trails are leading down to the lakes, and the descent is extremely steep. As you are also in the saddle, the wind goes through strongly, especially if there is a westerly. Be prepared with the required clothing.

You can also try these walks in Tongariro National Park, which goes down towards Ohakune. Here are a few for you to try.

Around Ohakune

There are also walks off the Mountain Road in Okakune.

The Rimu Walk

The Rimu Walk is a 15-minute loop walk that’s suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. Beginning from the car park, it follows the stream in a forest filled with Ferns and Kamahi.

Information plaques on the plant life in the area are along the track. Large Rimu stands tall, breaking through the top of the canopy.

The Mangawhero Forest Walk

This walk is longer, at an hour, but similar to the Rimu walk, as it starts from the same place. This is a pleasant walk along the Mangawhero River, passing through the bush and tall Rimu trees.

The track ends on the road to the Mangawhero campground, and you can either return the way you came or return along the Ohakune Mountain Road.

Mangawhero Falls

Thirteen kilometres up the mountain road is the short 10-minute walk to Mangawhero Falls.

I was doing all these walks in March (Autumn in New Zealand), and the water was nearly non-existent. Spring and early summer should have more.

There are two lookouts, one at the top of the falls and another a couple of minutes further down, that offer a view back at the water’s fall. As there was so little water, I took a photo of it, but you can see (or lack thereof) how much water there was.

Waitonga Falls Track

Only 11 km up the road is the Waitonga Falls track. At 1 hour 20 minutes, it leads to the highest waterfall at 39m in the National Park. Once again, you have beech forests and alpine wetlands that are passed over by boardwalks. You also have great views of the mountains on clear days.

From here, it’s back into the forest and downhill and up stairs until you reach the lookout for Waitonga Falls.

If you wanted to see the falls better, you would have to cross the river and go to the other side.

Turoa Ski-Field

At the top of the road is the Turoa ski field, 1600m above sea level, and the ski field car park. Out of ski season, this place is like a ghost town, but it offers excellent views, especially across to Mt. Taranaki, which is located on the west coast, a couple of hundred kilometres away.

Along with the walks in Tongariro National Park, the area has many historical sites from the pioneering days and later periods. Here is one of the bigger places to stop.

Tangiwai Train Disaster

The Tangiwai Train Disaster is a rest area located between Ohakune and Waiouru, marking the site of New Zealand’s worst train disaster.

This rest stop has information on the train disaster that occurred on Christmas Eve 1953, as well as picnic tables.

I found it a very eerie site. Whether it was my imagination or because I was the only one there for about five minutes, it is certainly a place to visit to learn about New Zealand’s worst train disaster.

The Whangaehu River was responsible for delivering the lahar from Mt. Ruapehu’s crater lake, which caused this devastation after the deluge weakened the rail bridge.

At 10.21 pm on Christmas Eve, the Wellington to Auckland night train was in the wrong place at the wrong time. 151 people lost their lives that night when the train toppled into the river, making it the eighth-worst train disaster in the world.

When you’re in Waiouru, a great place to visit is the National Army Museum. You can find my blog on it here, or more on the North Island of New Zealand here.

This area is rich in history and offers numerous walking trails, making it deserving of more than a one-day visit, especially when you take one of its walks. There are still many more sights to see than I have listed here.

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