Mt Tarawera is a childhood stomping, camping, and swimming ground of mine. My family would make the 4 hour journey from Auckland to visit family in Whakatane every summer and spend a week exploring the forest and lakes of Mt Tarawera. This was where I truly experienced how to camp, made my first contact with a Wētā and the joys of using a toilet which was literally a hole in the ground.

Mt Tarawera is great for day trips for spending a day on the lake, or if you want to spend a couple of nights Mt Tarawera has a pretty basic campsite, with the only thing that is provided is well built long drop toilets, otherwise everything else is completely up to what nature can provide. Tarawera Falls is an incredible waterfall that flows down from lake Tarawera, flows through a hole in the ground then makes it’s way back out and powers through several large holes in the cliff face. Tarawera Falls isn’t a great waterfall to swim at but you can definitely find a place to dip your feet or sits in a small area of churning water.

If you’re looking for a great excuse to get among a bit of nature then summer then Mt Tarawera is where you should explore.

About Mt Tarawera

Mt Tarawera is one of many volcanoes in New Zealand popular for camping, fishing, swimming and boating; the maunga (mountain) sits between Rotorua and Kawerau in central Te Ika a Maui (North Island).

Mt Tarawera last erupted in June 1886 and is still one of New Zealand’s deadliest volcanic eruptions to date, killing more than 100 Maori in nearby settlements and destroying villages. The famous pink and white terraces were once a popular tourist attraction until the eruption either destroyed them or buried them deep below the surface of Lake Rotomahana.
Although the crater itself no longer releases gases or molten lava, the area still has plenty of geothermal activity.

Take a boat out onto Lake Tarawera and search for many of the natural hot springs which are dotted around the edges of the lake; one of my favourite memories of camping at Mt Tarawera was finding a small area that had been sectioned off by several large rocks, creating a lakeside hot pool that had natural hot water flowing in. Several beaches along the lake have boiling water running from the bush straight into the water, it’s great for those who don’t like the chilling temperatures of a freshwater lake.

How to Get to Tarawera Falls

The drive out to Tarawera falls is usually a full day trip due to it being in quite an isolated area, unless you live in Kawerau then it’s a morning walk with the family. Make your way to Kawerau and head straight to the I-Site centre to get your permit. Each vehicle entering Tarawera forest requires a permit for either the waterfall or campground, these are $5 each and can be easily purchased from the information centre or online, for directions to the information centre click here.

The drive from the forest entrance to the falls or the campground takes you along a gravel road through a working logging area of pine forest. Beware of heavy machinery, pot holes or ruts in road. By any means don’t stop to explore forestry clearings or fallen trees, you might find yourself being yelled at by a forestry worker.

Walking to Tarawera falls from the carpark is short and easy, it can be done in jandals (flip flops) if you’re that way inclined. Simply follow the signs for Tarawera Falls and you’ll end at a carepark. The footpath is clearly sign posted and takes you through dense bush along the river side until you eventually come across Tarawera Falls.

From Tarawera Falls you can walk to the campground and to the inlet which feeds the waterfall, but I would really only advise of that if you enjoy a further few hours of walking. Otherwise you can easily get back to your car and drive up to the inlet and Lake Tarawera.

Click here for information on getting to Tarawera Falls from the campground, or click here for the shorter walk from the carpark.

Want road trip ideas? Check out my Auckland to Whakatane itinerary!

Mt Tarawera Campground

Prices per night:
Adult $15
Child (5 – 17 yrs) $7.50
Infant (0 – 4 yrs) free

The Department of Conservation is a government-run organization that maintains various campsites and National Parks around New Zealand. Including hiking trails, areas for hunting, and mountain biking to name a few. DOC campsites are the best way to truly experience what camping is all about; the Mt Tarawera campground is very basic with only a few long drop toilets, so be sure to pack your own solar-heated shower or you’ll be having a cold fresh water bath in the river. The Tarawera campground is popular for anyone with boats because it sits right on the edge of Lake Tarawera, so bring your sea biscuit and a packed lunch for a day on the water, and if you are lucky enough to have a boat then you can power your way across the lake and explore and relax on any of the small beaches along the lake, or find yourself a thermal inlet of water and have a warm bath within the lake itself.

A health warning must be mentioned, however; as the taps around the campground have pretty much been plumbed straight from the lake, the water goes through stages of having high toxicity levels due to the algae in the lake so be sure to bring your own water supply or have the ability to boil any water you source from the campsite, otherwise, you’ll be spending more time on the toilet.

For updated info on Mt Tarawera campground, visit DOCs’ website.

Things to do in Rotorua

Rotorua is the next large town that backs onto Mt Tarawera and is the perfect place to stay for a night or two; Rotorua is known for its fun-filled, activities on offer that are great for both adults, groups and children. We went on a road trip through Rotorua and spent two nights there before heading back home to Auckland, it was the perfect place to add a little bit of adventure into our roadtrip before heading back to the daily grind of Auckland life.

White-Water Rafting

White water rafting is one of my most favourite activities to do while on holiday; I’ve rafted in Slovenia and Austria but funny enough the most enjoyable and heart stopping white water rafting experiences I have had was in Rotorua with the tour company Rotorua Rafting. We rafted down the Kaituna river which has the tallest commercially run waterfall in the world, our guide explained the history that the Kaituna river holds, and there were several times I thought our raft would capsize and sink. As you can see by my face in many of the pictures scattered through this article I had an amazing time, and I would recommend white water rafting to anyone who is making the trip to Rotorua.

Click here to read if white-water rafting is for you!

Exploring the Redwoods Forest

The Rotorua Redwoods Forest was a place I had always known about but had never visited until recently. The Redwoods forest is free to enter but the treetop walk is what you really want to experience. The 700-metre treetop walk takes you along 28 suspension bridges that wind their way around the giant trees of Rotorua’s forest that can be as tall as 20meterss high. No safety equipment or harnesses are needed for this activity which makes it perfect for those with small families as it is super child friendly. The Rotorua treetop walk is also open during the night which is just as magical, with many lanterns lighting the pathway and the forest beyond the suspension bridges; it’s truly a magical experience and is a great place for a casual date or somewhere fun to bring the kids.

Relax at Waikite Valley Thermal Hot Springs

Waikite Valley thermal hot pools was the first private hot tub experience I had and it was one of the best. We did a road trip from Auckland and at the last minute we found Waikite Valley that sat just outside of the main Rotorua township which meant it wasn’t full of people. The private hot tubs looked over a small creek of thermal water that created steam that would sometimes blow into our little area.. If you want to find out more about these amazing Rotorua hot pools then check out my post here.