Taranaki - My Fave Three Hikes Under 3hrs
We love where we live! Taranaki is an outdoor lovers playground, from the mountain to the rugged west coast, there are so many hikes and walks here to choose from. Here are my Top 3 walks under 3hrs in Taranaki, offering different grades, distances and scenery and the best of the mountain, lakes and sea.
Lake Mangamahoe
5kms / 1.5hrs / Moderate
On a clear day, you can’t beat the views of the mountain from Lake Mangamahoe, and there are several vantage points as you do the Lake loop. There are lots of trails at Lake Mangamahoe (including bridal & mountain biking trails) but the classic walk is the Lake Loop. I recommend parking at the first carpark and heading straight through the redwoods and into the bush on the Lake Loop trail. Initially you walk through the native bush, over 2 swing bridges and then straight up the hill to a lookout over the lake and ocean beyond. You’ll come to the second (and last) big hill before heading into the redwoods, which is my favourite part of the walk. As you walk along the back of the lake there are two options - you can stick to the upper lake track that you are on, or turn left to head down onto the lower lake loop which will allow you to walk right next to the lake. If you’re wanting some more variety in landscape and the trail, head down the stairs to the lower loop which will just take you back up to the main trail down the track.
There are epic views of the mountain from the top of the dam. After you leave the dam and start walking towards the parking lot, turn left up the stairs to the lookout - it’s amazing and in my opinion the best view at Lake Mangamahoe. The rest of the walk take you along the road next to the lake back to the carpark.
Veronica Loop Track / Mt Taranaki
3kms / 1.5-2hrs / Moderate
This walk starts from the North Egmont Visitors centre. Follow the boardwalk up to the camp house and head up the Veronica Track. You will pass the Ambury Monument (and interesting read!) and starts to climbs up some steps. You will be on the steps for around 30 mins - straight up, so this walk requires a reasonable level of fitness. You will come to a junction with signposting to turn right and loop back to the visitor centre through kamahi and Hall’s tōtara forest, however, I recommend you continue straight on the Holly Hutt track for about another 10 mins up for some epic views out over New Plymouth and straight up to the mountain. Walk past the first little lookout where there are some seats, and go about 5 mins further where you’ll get the best views.
Once you’ve taken in the scenes, head back down and turn down the loop junction you passed earlier.
This walk offers it all - great views (and cardio!) and incredible alpine rainforest.
View from just beyond the Veronica Loop track
Coastal Walkway / East End Reserve to Oceanview Parade Boardwalk
8kms / 2hrs / Easy Grade
The Coastal Walkway is very popular here in New Plymouth, and an obvious choice if you’re staying in NP and want to get out for a walk - or ride. With just under 14kms of pathway to choose from, there is a lot to see along the way and lots of different entry points and places to walk. My favourite short walk would probably be the wind wand to East End Beach, but the walkway is a great spot for getting out and stretching your legs for a longer walk, which also allows you to get to some quieter parts of the walkway.
For the most variety, I like to start at East End Beach (park at the Buller Street Carpark) and head towards Fitzroy Beach where you can grab a coffee from the kiosk while you walk. Keep walking past the holiday park and towards Te Rewa Rewa bridge - an iconic Taranaki landmark. You can turnaround here, but I recommend you continue across the bridge and turn off the track up on the left at the first opportunity to take your shoes off and sink your toes into the sand and check out the views at the beach. This part of the beach is usually empty and is really beautiful. Continue along the path to the boardwalk, which is once again super beautiful and offers great views up and down the coast. At the end of the boardwalk turnaround and head back.
Other bonuses of this walk are plenty of toilets! Find bathrooms at East End, Fitzroy & Waiwhakaiho Rivermouth.
Hooker Valley Track / Aoraki Mt Cook
10kms Return / 3hrs
Located 5 mins from Aoraki/Mount Cook Village.
There is a reason the Hooker Valley Track is voted New Zealand most popular day walk. It is nothing short of spectacular, especially if you get a clear day like we did, getting to experience Aoraki / Mt Cook as your backdrop while you walk.
During this walk you pass through Hooker Valley and walk beside the Hooker River, and end at a glacial lake which is pretty amazing to see up close. We were lucky enough to see some icebergs the day we were there.
The track is a medium to easy grade, there is no real elevation so it’s a relatively easy walk that is family friendly. The walk is 10kms long though, so does take a little while, but the views and alpine flora and fauna you experience make it worth it.
There are several swing bridges to cross which offer some pretty amazing views along the way. If you’re a bit skittish around heights, the second one might make you pause (like it did for me!) but I knew I just had to get to the other side, so got brave and did it!
The view are incredible in every direction. While walking you are surrounded by mountain ranges on all sides making it pretty dramatic. We were lucky enough to witness an avalanche off to the side on one of the cliff faces - we actually heard it before we saw it, with the sound echoing through the valley. Pretty cool!
The terrain is quite rocky in places so I recommend close toed shoes. I walked in hiking boots which were perfect for this walk.
This walk is one of our favourites ever, with so much varied landscape and terrain in the 3hrs we were walking, plus the stunning scenery and it’s easy grade - it’s a winner!
Abel Tasman Track - Planning Your Walk
All the tips and tricks you need to help you plan your Abel Tasman Walk.
Abel Tasman
The Abel Tasman is an incredibly beautiful part of the country. We are so lucky that we can experience via walking tracks, or even by water on kayaks if you want. In 2021 we decided to undertake a few days walking the famed track, and it did not disappoint. It was a moderate walking track, we didn’t find any of it too challenging - but did also not do the entire track. See below for the sections we walked.
I will confess I found organising our trip and navigating how to plan the Abel Tasman very confusing, so hopefully this helps anyone else wanting to plan a trip there.
We decided to not camp along the way, as this girl likes her home comforts so I set about trying to find accommodation, which was the biggest challenge. There are very few places to stay IN the park. Unless you find somewhere private, the only spot I found was Awaroa Lodge. It’s an amazing little oasis in the middle of the bush, but it cost us. We were visiting over peak time, so we paid top dollar at $470 a night (likely a lot more now!). That’s the most I have ever paid to stay anywhere and it took me a few days to accept that I wasn’t going to find anywhere else and we decided as it was a special trip for us, we would splurge. The price also included an epic full menu breakfast each day. It needs to be said - the food at this place is outstanding.
Price wise, we stayed in peak times - I think other times of year it is much more reasonable. Staying here meant water taxi’ing in and out (which you need to book in advance, we used Aqua Taxi), or walking in and out. So here is the breakdown of how we coordinated 3 days walking.
Day 1: Marahau to Anchorage Bay
Drop bags to Water taxi in Marahau by 9am, then start walk to Anchorage Bay (12.5kms / approx 4hrs). Bags were sent to Awaroa ahead of us. The walk was spectacular and relatively easy, we were picked up by our Aqua Taxi at 1.45pm and taken to Awaroa, which meant we had most of the afternoon to enjoy there. We swam at the absolutely INCREDIBLE Awaroa beach (look up the history of this amazing spot!) and had pizza for dinner at the Pizzeria.
Day 2: Bark Bay to Awaroa (skipped Anchorage to Bark Bay)
We caught our Aqua taxi at 10.30 to Bark Bay, which ended up going on a big tour of all sorts of places (not planned) so we didn’t get there until after 12pm. We weren’t too concerned as we had all day to make our way back to Awaroa lodge. This day was a harder walk, with several uphill sections, most notably just outside of Bark Bay. This was our favourite day though, although more challenging the track was quieter, the scenery amazing and lots of cheeky little Weka and wonderful bird life. We made it back to Awaroa in time for a cold cider at the Pizzeria and a game of outdoor chess, followed by an incredible dinner at the restaurant.
Day 3: Awaroa to Totoranui
We had planned to walk for 3 days (walk Awaroa lodge to Totoranui and then water taxi back, 7kms) but we instead decided to spend the day at Awaroa beach. We knew we would be leaving the next day and hadn’t allowed time to just relax and spend time at the beach - and I’m so glad we decided to do this. We spent the most amazing morning at the beach, swimming multiple times, building dams in the estuary and bathing in the 24 degree sun (with plenty of sunscreen of course!!). It was one of the best days in recent memory. If you stay at the lodge, make sure you allow some time to do this.
Day 4: Awaroa to Marahau
We opted for a late aqua taxi at noon, which got us back to Marahau at 1.30pm. We then drove to Canvastown for the remainder of our trip.
Abel Tasman Tips:
1. The first step is deciding which portions of the walk you want to do. I found this map handout from DOC particularly handy.
2. Decide whether you want to carry all of your belongings and sleep in the doc huts or campground along the way, or whether you want to water taxi in and out. Doing it the later adds significant cost, but for us was worth it. Once you have this decided, you can look for accommodation either in Kaiteriteri or Marahau or stay in the park like we did, at Awaroa Lodge.
3. Make sure you book any water taxi’s in advance.
4. Take your own fixings for lunch & snacks.