14 Easy Day Walks in Tongariro National Park

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. There are many walks in Tongariro National Park that fit all ages and all fitness levels. You’ll need more than a day to explore them all. You can either drive or catch shuttles from National Park, or your accommodation may also offer this. Your first stop should be the iSite, where you can get information on the walks. There is also information on the history of volcanic activity and the fauna and flora in the area.

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Whakapapa Village Walks

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

The Ridge Track

The Ridge Track is a 40-minute return one-way track. A great short walk, it’s 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 as well.

Whakapapa Nature Walk

The Whakapapa Nature Walk is a 15-minute loop walk that is sealed for wheelchairs and strollers. It is here you can see the park’s unique alpine plants and surrounding landscape. It starts 250m above the Visitor Centre opposite the fire station.

It has information panels on the plants in the area and has a side track down to the Whakapapanui Stream. There are steps and uneven ground on the side track, which isn’t suitable for strollers or wheelchairs.

The Mounds Walk

The Mounds Walk is a 20-minute return, and it is here 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 Walk is a 13m drop and is a 20-minute return and another great one for the kids. It’s located 4km back down the road from the Village, it is again 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 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 down the road from the Village. It’s a two-hour walk, 6km, that can be completed as a loop. You can either come back to where you started using the highway or you can come back 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 and a half 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 much easier to see here.

On this walk, you pass through more Beech forest, 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 a boardwalk, you can really see the rust on rocks. This is caused by the iron in the water and 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, you can go up onto Bruce road, which is only 45 minutes away and walk down the road.

Taranaki Falls

Taranaki Falls has an impressive drop of 20m. 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 rougher track but also has glimpses of Mt. Ruapehu before heading into the beech forest and walking next to 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 head along the track further, there are steps that are steep but head to the Upper track.

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.

Heading back to Whakapapa Village, the track is much easier. 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 get back 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. You can do this track after seeing Taranaki Falls, as it is an extension of the Tama Lakes track.

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 or negotiate with a couple of steps. There is a wet water crossing, and you should check with iSite if there is any or much 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 have something 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. There are no tracks down to the lakes, and the descent is very 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 good for wheelchairs and strollers. Beginning from the car park, this walk 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 and starts at the same place. This is a good walk following the Mangawhero River and passing through the bush and tall Rimu.

The track ends on the road down to the Mangawhero campground, and you can either go back 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.

There are two lookouts, one on top of the falls and another a couple of minutes further down that give you a look back at the fall of the water. As there was so little water, I took a photo of it, but you can really see (or see the lack of) 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 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 is the ski-field car park. Out of the ski season, this place is like a ghost town, but there are great views, especially across to Mt. Taranaki, which is on the west coast a couple of hundred kilometres away.

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

Tangiwai Train Disaster

Tangiwai Train Disaster is a rest area between Ohakune and Waiouru that is home to 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 worse train disaster.

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

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 a blog on it here or more on the North Island of New Zealand here.

This is an area rich in history and walks and deserves more than a one-day visit doing one of its walks. There are still many more sights to see than I have listed here.

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