Egmont National Park

A visit to Taranaki is definitely not complete without experiencing the immaculate environment and beauty that the Egmont National Park has to offer.

The alpine resorts are a very easy drive on sealed roads where the environment is one of tranquil bush and lovely streams. Some alpine walks can be enjoyed on the lower slopes and many start from accommodation locations. The higher altitude offers energizing fresh air and the slopes are an alluring attraction. The display centres within the Egmont National Park, both North Egmont (via Egmont Village on SH3) and Dawson Falls on South Egmont are recommended locations to visit.

EAST EGMONT East Egmont, accessed via Stratford, offers you the mountain skifield as well as the short Kamahi Walk through the Goblin Forest, with branches covered in thick grey-green moss.

A cafe service is available at the Mountain House on East Egmont.

The road continues up onto the plateau. This is the highest car park in the whole of Taranaki at an altitude of 1135 metres. Spectacular views of Fantham's Peak and the Summit can be seen from there.

National Park walking tracks

Various walks in the Egmont National Park are accessible from Stratford and the surrounding district:

The Potaema Wetlands - 15-30 minutes.
The Patea Loop Track - 60-90 minute loop.
Curtis Falls - about 2-3 hours return.
Kamahi Loop Track - 15-30 minutes
York Road - about 3 hours loop.
The Kapuni Loop Track - about 60-90 minutes. This passes Dawson Falls (18m).
The Ridge Loop Walk begins 100m below the Dawson Falls Visitor Centre. Part way along this track leads (right) to Wilkies Pools. The Ridge Walk (not including Wilkies Pools) is about 60-90 minutes.
The Wilkies Pools Loop Walk begins about 100 metres up above the Dawson Falls Visitor Hub. Around 10 minutes along this track is an intersection. Here a sign post leads to Wilkies Pools. The walk takes around 60-90 minutes and longer if you stop to swim etc. It's possible to return the same way and not follow the entire loop circuit.
The Konini Dell Loop Track - about 30-60 minutes.
The Hasties Hill Loop Track - 1.5-2 hours.

There any around 300,000 visitors annually to Egmont National Park, Taranaki's biggest playground. Visitors should remember that despite its awesome appearance, it's still a wild and dangerous place. Don't wander off on a hot day in just a pair of shorts and a T-shirt because Mt Egmont / Taranaki can drop quite a few degrees and start raining and/or snowing in a very short space of time.

If people do not go skiing on the Stratford side of the mountain, they tend to go walking. It's no place for the indecisive because with over 180 kilometres of track, you are able to choose anything from an easy 15-minute walk to a four-day slog on the Around the Mountain Track. Another challenge is walking from Taranaki's coast to the mountain's summit. This is the equivalent of walking from the Kermadec Islands, 1000km northeast of Auckland, down to Scott Base in Antarctica.

The summit is reached dozens of times every year and local mountaineering clubs hold yearly open-day climbs.