Dawson Falls

WATCH OUT FOR GOBLINS!

09 OCTOBER 2022

Goblins Forest is so enchanting

The Magic Tunnel

Mt Egmont (also known as Mt Taranaki) is a beautiful stratovolcano in the southwest of the North Island in New Zealand. We got to see her a few days out of the 2 weeks we spent in South Taranaki but most of the time she was covered in cloud!

My cousin had told me about the goblin forest up Mt Egmont and I was amazed at how cool the forest was when I saw the pictures and I knew we HAD to visit! We had planned to walk to Wikies Pools which shows more of the goblin forest, however we were short on time so we did the Dawson Falls Track which still showed off some of the enchanting goblin forest - I was happy!

The drive up Mt Egmont is really beautiful and in spring and summer the trees come together above the road and almost form a green tunnel - it's pretty magical. It's a windy drive and every corner you turn seems to look the same, making you wonder if it really is a magic tunnel and you're just warping in and out of the same corner. But it's not, just in case you're wondering.

Mt Egmont/Taranaki

The road up the mountain is so beautiful

Mt Egmont is the second highest mountain in the North Island of New Zealand (Mt Ruapehu is the highest)

Are there fairies at the end of the tunnel?

Any Goblins Hiding Here?

There are so many beautiful walks to do up Mt Egmont, but we only had time to do just the Dawson Falls Track on our visit to the Taranaki Region.

The forest is so beautiful with its crooked and twisted trees covered in moss, vines and creepers that you can see why it's called the goblin forest (it's also known as the enchanted forest).

I wish we had more time to spend in the forest, it's a cool place to photograph and explore. It would look even more magical on a foggy day in the morning light!

We weren't expecting it to be so cold in the forest, as soon as we got out of the car we felt the chill - brrrr! It had been pretty warm at the house we were staying in near Opunake so we weren't expecting it to be THAT cold! We do know that the weather can be unpredictable up mountains, so we were prepared with pants, puffer jackets and all that jazz!

Any goblins hiding behind the trees?

I wish we had more time to spend photographing the trees

The walk to the waterfall takes around 5-minutes

The Weird And Wonderful

We didn't see any wildlife in the forest nor any bugs or insects but we did see a lot of beautiful green plants and moss growing off the trees. They were so vibrant and it reminded us of the forests up in Northland where everything was super green it was hard to believe there wasn't a filter over your eyes, especially on the Mt Manaia Track, at the Abbey Caves and also at the Wairere Boulders.

The girls weren't so interested in the beautiful greenery - they just wanted to get to the waterfall!

I can't wait to see how this unfolds

The whole family will enjoy walking through the forest

I love seeing vibrant greenery creeping its way up a tree

Exploring is the best way to discover something new

I'd like to know why the plants don't want to grow on the other side of the tree root? Are they sideist?

Shoot, Wipe, Shoot, Wipe, Shoot, Wipe

There had been a lot of rainfall before we visited the falls so it was in full force and was worth the trip.

Any photographer knows how hard it is to get photos by a waterfall as there is a constant spray of water which you need to wipe off your lense after every snap - yiiiip that happened here! It makes it even more difficult to take photos when you're doing a long exposure but hey ho it worked out in the end!

We didn't get sprayed as much here as we did on the Whangarei Falls but it did make it a little unpleasant as it was already a cold day so this added to the cold brrr.

We had the area to ourselves, so it was nice to look around, take photos and enjoy the waterfall. It probably gets really packed in summer so we felt lucky that no one else was visiting.

Dawson Falls

Prepare to get sprayed if you stand near the waterfall!

The Dawson Falls are 18 meters high

If you get close, prepare to get sprayed

The Viewpoint

There is a viewpoint that you can visit if you're not able to manage all the stairs down to the waterfall, or if you prefer to appreciate waterfalls from a distance.

There's a small viewing platform where you get a great view of not only Dawson Falls but also of the Taranaki Region. We could see how sunny (and warm) it was down there and how completely covered in cloud Mt Egmont was. You'd get a great view on a sunny day!

There are signs for the viewing platform and it's a short 200m or 5-minute walk to get there and there are no stairs on this track.

Dawson Falls from the viewpoint

View out to the Taranaki Region from the viewpoint

Trackity Track Track

The track to the waterfalls is fairly easy but there are a few tree roots and steep stairs to contend with. The base of the waterfall is only 200m from the parking area and it takes around 5-minutes.

It can get a little slippery after rain, but we didn't find it too bad at all despite all the heavy rain we had experienced in the Taranaki Region prior to visiting. There was only one place we helped the girls get up and down on the stairs but apart from that it was easy as pie and a great thigh burner on the way back up!

Take care on the stairs, some of them are really uneven

The track can be slippery after rain

The forest was so vibrant, it reminded us of the Northland forests like the Mt Manaia Track and the Wairere Boulders

You can also see the goblin forest near Wilkies Pools which is also up Mt Egmont

Know Before You Go

The Dawson Falls are a short 5-minute walk from the parking area
Parking is limited by the entry to the track
The track can be slippery after rain
The track is uneven, especially on the stairs
Not suitable for prams or wheelchairs
There are no toilets here, you'll find some a bit further up the mountain at the Visitor's Centre
The waterfall is best experienced after rainfall and in the wetter months
The viewing platform and base of the waterfall are both a 200m or 5-minute walk on different tracks

Mappy McMap Face

Getting There

The falls are a 1-hour drive south of New Plymouth CBD and 40-minutes north of Hawera. Follow the road up the mountain on Manaia Road (the signs for Mt Egmont are easy to spot) and keep an eye out for the track entry on the right. There is a small parking bay for 2 - 3 cars. You can either turn into the bay or head a little bit further up the mountain to the Visitor's Centre and turn around there. Also, this is the best place to park if there are no parking spots beside the the track entrance.

Conclusion

The Dawson Falls are a beautiful site to visit, especially after a lot of rainfall. The whole area is beautiful, from the drive up Mt Egmont to the walk through the forest to get to the waterfall. We love how quick it is to get to from the parking area and how much of a thigh workout we get walking back up the stairs!