Dawson Falls (Te Rere o Noke) is a stunning 18m tall waterfall in Te Papakura o Taranaki on the west coast of the North Island. The area is surrounded by ancient Kamahi forest (often called goblin forest thanks to its twisted trees and mossy canopy), and walking here genuinely feels like you’ve stepped straight into a Lord of the Rings movie!

Track overview

Difficulty: Easy to moderate

Length: 3.7km loop

Time: 1.5-2 hours return

One of the best ways to see the falls is by walking one of my favourite tracks in the region. Wilkies Pools and Dawson Falls Loop is a beautiful trail that follows the Kapuni Stream through a forest, past plunge pools and eventually to the base of the falls. There are some steps, but it’s not too challenging. However, if you’re short on time or don’t fancy the whole loop, you can also get to the falls in 20 minutes from the Dawson Falls Visitor Centre.

How to get there

From Stratford, turn off State Highway 3 onto Celia Street, which later becomes Opunake Road. Follow this road for around 14km before turning left onto Manaia Road. Keep driving until you reach the end of the road, which will take you to the Dawson Falls Visitor Centre. There is a free carpark here, but it gets busy all year round, so I recommend arriving as early as possible.