Features

Tarn on the Pouakai Track, Pouakai
Circuit

The Pouakai Circuit is an awe-inspiring chapter in the New Zealand landscape and geology story.

The turmoil of centuries of volcanic activity is apparent as soon as you cross the active erosion scar of the Boomerang slip and pass beneath the towering columns of the Dieffenbach cliffs.  You might notice the red water of the Kokowai Stream caused by manganese oxide oozing from the earth.

The circuit takes you through the fragile Ahukawakawa swamp, golden tussocks, summer flowers and the Stony River's Bells Falls. Lining the climb up from the swamp are gnarled trees, bent to the will of the weather.

Not far from Pouakai Hut, a side trip to the Pouakai Trig on a clear day offers stunning views along the Taranaki coastline and to Mt Ruapehu.