Taranaki Falls is a 20-metre waterfall on a loop walking track in Tongariro National Park, reached from Whakapapa Village on SH48. The track starts 100 metres below the Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre on Ngauruhoe Place and is part of the Te Araroa Trail. The lower track is more sheltered on windy days. It passes through tussock and alpine shrubland, then beech forest where whiteheads, grey warblers and rifleman are common, and crosses the Wairere Stream beside Cascade Falls. The falls tumble over a large andesite lava flow that erupted from Ruapehu about 15,000 years ago, and a climb of 100 steps leads on to a forest of mountain toatoa.
The return route passes red tussock, eroded gullies and layers of pumice and ash from past eruptions, with views of Ngauruhoe's symmetrical cone on a clear day. No dogs are allowed, and other pets follow conservation land rules. Flying a drone without a permit is prohibited. Our pick in Whakapapa Village for a walk with mountain views.