Tawhai Falls walk
Tawhai Falls walk
Whakapapa Village
Your Nature Guide
Marios Gavalas
Author And Researcher
Nau mai, haere mai
I'm Marios, delivering the best of Aotearoa's nature walks to your device.
I've personally walked hundreds of New Zealand's tracks and spent months in libraries uncovering interesting information on New Zealand/Aotearoa. And you'll find a slice of that research on this page - enjoy!
Maps
Photos
Information
A little beaut of a waterfall, tricking over an old lava bluff. The sort of place Gollum would hang out.
The bottom of the waterfall is a deep, clear pool - adrenalin hooligans have been known to hurl themselves off the top into the blue unknown...
A pretty spot to stretch the legs on the way to Whakapapa.
Access
Tawhai Falls Walk is signposted 3.9 km south of Whakapapa Village, where there’s a small parking bay.
Track
It’s an easy stroll through mountain toatoa and stunted beech forest to the waterfall.
Geology
The 13-metre high falls tumble over an ancient lava flow.
European History
Some people have nicknamed the plunge pool ‘Gollums Pool’, as it was used in the filming when Faramir and his archers were watching Gollum fish. This is on account of the rock formations at the base of the falls, which resemble stone trolls from the Hobbit.
Details
| Feature | Value | Info |
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Location |
North Island ▷ Ruapehu ▷ Tongariro / National Park Village |
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Categories |
Contact
Reviews
Steve Jackson
Ranking: 9/10
Stumbled across this little walk (15 minutes) during a lunch break and enjoyed pictures in the sun by the falls. Easy to get to.
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Stuart
Ranking: 8/10
Easy to get to and a great spot to have a look. Spectacular waterfall!
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Megan Telford
Ranking: 9/10
Really nice, short walk to a beautiful waterfall. Very easy walk. Pretty scenery at the end.
Thank You - to the thousands of travellers that have contributed to our Top Voted NZ Activities Map - it's free from Rankers.
Lucie Revay
Ranking: 8/10
A short and easy walk to a nice waterfall.
Herman Schulz
Ranking: 8/10
Short walks to a great waterfall.
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Janina Zwerver
Ranking: 9/10
Only a short hike, but a beautiful waterfall at the end.
Emily and Alex
Ranking: 10/10
Beautiful falls, about 25/30drop. Cold water, rainbows in spray. If mad, you can jump from the top and land in the deep pool underneath.
DOC Managed
Thanks to all the good people working for the NZ Department of Conservation - for all your hard work - making NZ more beautiful, accessable and healthy! Cheers 😍
