An incredible walk that ends with the chance for an icy cold dip! Te Rere-o-Noke, Dawson Falls & Wilkies Pools are both picturesque and one of the easier walks to do on the impressive Taranaki Maunga. You can freedom camp from the car park here, making it a wonderful walk to do when there are fewer people around and you can enjoy the sounds of the birds as you walk through the enchanting bush. The bush here is renowned for being a ‘goblin forest’. We aren’t too sure how it got that name, but given that it’s on Māori land and not a forest located in England, we think it’s more appropriate to call it a Patupaiarehe forest.
Patupaiarehe, also referred to as Tūrehu and Pakepakehā, are supernatural beings sometimes likened to fair-folk or fairies and found living in forests and mist covered mountains. Even though they weren’t said to live near Taranaki, it seems a much more befitting name for these lush fern filled sections of Taranaki than a ‘goblin forest’. The landscape here is definitely worthy of supernatural beings with its lava flows and ice cold water, creating inviting but freezing swimming holes.
If you are brave enough, you can even slide down the lava flows into a deep pool below. So let’s dive into the hike and see if you can brave the water!
Be sure to check out our Instagram to see more of our favourite hikes!
Details
Starting Point: Dawson Falls Visitor Centre. Taranaki National Park.
Distance: 5km
Duration: 1-2 hours
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
When: We came in January. If you plan on taking a dip, then come in summer as the water is freezing year round.
Local iwi: Taranaki iwi
Additional Information: You can turn the walk to/from Wilkies Pools into a loop. The North-East track was very muddy when we went so we just came back along the boardwalk.
Trail Map
Getting to the Starting Point of Dawson Falls & Wilkies Pools
In summer, this is a very popular swimming spot, so you really need to either get here early or later in the day to get a parking spot. There is a decent size car park at the start of the walk but it fills up pretty quickly. With a narrow road leading up to the car park, there aren’t really any options for parking if the car park is full.
The Trail
Technically speaking, Dawson Falls & Wilkies Pools are really two separate walking tracks. However, if you start with the Kapuni Loop Track, you’ll be able to easily connect the two from the car park. The Kapuni loop track starts from the car park and loops back to here, including the falls on the track. From here you can then follow on with the Wilkies Pools walk.
Te Rere-o-Noke/Dawson Falls
Te Rere-o-Noke is the original Māori name for Dawson Falls. We will refer to the falls in its proper name from here on. The name translates to the falls of Noke. In English, named after a man who escaped by hiding under the falls.
To reach the falls, follow the Kapuni loop track markers at the bottom of the parking area to walk in the bush alongside the road for a few 100m before turning off properly into the lush green bush. Marvel at the ferns and dripping moss here as you descend to the base of the Te Rere-o-Nokeg. Be careful on the steps as everything seems to be constantly damp here due to the clouds that often shroud Taranaki.
The 18m falls are stunning and worth stopping at to take it all in. You then continue on the track through the bush, listening out for birds and crossing the road once to end up back at the opposite side of the parking lot. Carry on up to the visitors’ centre and from here you can jump onto the Wilkies Pools track. If you are feeling brave, bring your bathers for an icy dip in the water.
Wilkies Pools
A pleasant walk along a well paved and board walked path will lead you to the pools and give you a stunning view of Taranaki. It is a little steep in sections but easy enough and labeled as wheelchair/pram accessible. You cross the Kapuni stream on a suspension bridge and follow the track down to the rocky Wilkies Pools. These stunning pools are resting within a 20,000-year-old lava flow that is now a waterfall.
The short but very steep natural rock slide here has become quite a sensation. We’ve seen plenty of people slide down it on Instagram, but it’s pretty daunting in real life and we just stuck to swimming in the water a bit. If we had seen someone do it whilst we were there, then we may have braved it. However, we were here alone and didn’t trust that the water was high enough in the pool below the slide for us to not hurt ourselves. Safety first! We did have a little shower underneath another waterfall slightly further up the rocks and plunged into the deeper pools as well. We freedom camped here, so it was nice to get clean in this glacial water before turning in for the night.
When at Dawson Falls & Wilkies Pools, Remember to be Respectful
As always, enjoy the trail, but make sure to do so with care and respect for the land you are on. Leave no trace, take nothing but photos and stick to the track. It’s fun to take the road less travelled in life but not great for the natural environment, so keep on the path to protect the natural majesty of Taranaki.
Keen for more inspo? Be sure to check out:
- Half Day Hike – Karangahake Gorge
- Waterfalls in Waikato That You MUST Visit
- 6 Steps for Eco Conscious Travel
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