Pouakai Tarns Walk: The Best View Of Mount Taranaki

If you’re planning the Pouakai Tarns walk and hoping to catch the iconic reflection of Mount Taranaki, you’ve probably already seen the photo! The mountain mirrored perfectly in a still tarn at the top. And yes… it really does look that good in real life (as long as the weather behaves itself).

I did this walk while I was living in New Zealand, and it instantly became one of my favourite hikes. It’s not exactly an easy stroll, but it’s straightforward, the scenery is beautiful the whole way up, and the view at the top is easily one of the best on the North Island (and that’s saying something!).

If you’re a nature lover, a keen hiker, or you want to get that famous Taranaki reflection shot, this walk is genuinely worth your time.

In this guide, I’ll break down everything you need to know, from how to get there, what the trail is actually like, how long it takes, and the weather you’ll need for that glassy, mirror-perfect view.

The Pouakai Tarns Walk At A Glance

In case you’re in a rush, this quick overview tells you the important information about reaching the tarns at a glance.

When’s The Best Time To Go?

The best time of year to hike to the viewpoint is between September and April. However, if you visit during the warmer months of December, January, and February, the volcano likely won’t have snow on top. We visited in October, and there was still a good sprinkle of snow on Taranaki’s peak.

You can still go between May and August, but since this is New Zealand’s winter, there is a higher chance of ice, snow, and bad weather, so I don’t really recommend it.

The best time of day to visit will vary depending on the weather. As much as I prefer getting to places like this for sunrise or sunset, Mount Taranaki is notorious for its quick changes in weather, so you’ll need to check the forecast for that day to see the best time.

On the day we did our walk, Taranaki and the Pouakai Tarns had thick cloud cover in the morning, so we had to go later in the afternoon.

How To Get The Taranaki Reflection

So as I just mentioned, timing is everything if you’re going to get that mirror-perfect view!

As we were in the area for just a few days before heading to the South Island for a road trip, we had to keep a very close eye on the weather. I would have been beyond gutted if we got to the top and the volcano was hidden behind the clouds.

The magic recipe to get that glassy reflection on the lake is low wind speed. This may sound simple but unfortunately being that high up in an alpine environment means weather changes quickly and you might only have a small window before the winds pick back up. Try to aim for 2m/s or less for the best reflection.

The wind was a bit too high on the day we were there, so we only saw the reflection clearly for a few sporadic minutes.

Another important factor is cloud cover, you’ll want a low percentage of low and middle cloud cover, as these are the ones that can completely cloak Taranaki. High cloud cover won’t be much of an issue, as this is going to be above the volcano cone.

You can check the weather, wind conditions and cloud cover for the Pouaki Hut here, and it’s best to open the hourly forecast for each day.

Tip! To get the best angle of the mirror reflection, get your camera as low to the ground as possible!

How Long Does The Hike Take?

The DOC website recommends 2.5 hours each way to reach the Pouakai Tarns from the Mangorei Car Park. I think this completely depends on a few things though such as how fast you walk and how many times you stop to take pictures or a break.

It took us an hour and 40 minutes to reach the hut from the car park and about an hour and 10 minutes on the way back down. We did spend about 2 hours at the viewpoint though so our total hike time including stops, was just over 4.5 hours.

The Fastest Route To The Pouakai Tarns

There are a few different trails you can walk to the Pouakai Tarns, but the best and fastest of them all is the Mangorei Track.

The start of the track is just a short 20-minute drive from New Plymouth. Even on this drive, we got lots of amazing views of Mount Taranaki, and we did stop a few times to take some pictures!

The best place for you to park is Mangorei Road Car Park, which is free, has plenty of spaces and has toilets you can use before you start your hike.

Like with other hikes in New Zealand (and probably anywhere else), always check the weather conditions before you start out.

Pack plenty of layers. You might get hot on the walk to the viewpoint, but once you stop, it can be very cold up there! I stupidly only brought a small, cropped jumper, which didn’t keep me warm at all (I know, shock right?). Luckily, I had a big scarf I could use as a blanket, but don’t make the same mistake as me!

Picking Up The Trail

You’ll pick up the Mangorei trailhead from the car park, which initially takes you along a short gravel road. After a few hundred meters, you’ll reach an opening in the forest.

The trail is easy to follow and is either a boardwalk or steps most of the way. I actually loved the boardwalk as it meant that my shoes weren’t getting muddy, and the trail was super easy to follow. Because of the gaps in the path though, I don’t think hiking poles would be very useful, so it might be best to leave these at home for this walk.

The bushwalk is very pretty with twisted moss-covered trees sheltering you from the sun or rain above. The first kilometre of the hike is a very small incline, and I found it fairly easy to pick up a good pace. After this though, is where the climb begins. The steps and path become steeper, and although it’s not too difficult, this is where we really started to sweat!

After a few kilometres, you’ll emerge from the forest and you’ll soon have views over the treetops and across the valley. Do not panic if there is a lot of cloud cover at this point! The Pouakai Tarns and Mount Taranaki are still a little bit of a walk from here and are higher up. I got a bit disheartened when we saw thick clouds in front of us, but I later found out I actually had nothing to worry about.

After a little more walking, you’ll soon see the Pouakai Hut nestled up on the hill in front of you. If you plan far enough in advance, you can book to stay the night here on the DOC website. It does get booked up fast, and it actually looks like a really cool place to stay with amazing views.

I did find this last section to the hut the hardest for some reason, it just felt really steep, but I was probably just ready to have one of my snacks by this point!

Passing The Pouakai Hut

Although you’ve reached the Pouakai Hut, you’ll still have another 15 minutes until you reach the tarns. This is a good spot to give your legs a rest if you need to though, and there are toilets at the hut if you need to use them.

I was a little confused when we got here, as I thought we would be able to see Mount Taranaki at this point, but there is a hill between the hut and the volcano that blocks the view.

This last bit of the trail has recently been upgraded and has wooden stairs and a boardwalk leading up to the viewpoint.

Reaching Pouakai Tarns And The Taranaki Reflection

If you’ve lucked out with the weather like we did, then be prepared to pick your jaw up from the floor! When you’re approaching the viewpoint, it might not look much like the photos, as the pond is quite small and Taranaki will be off to the side of you.

But when you walk to the other side of the water, you will get that million-dollar view of Mount Taranaki reflected on the Pouakai Tarns!

There is a boardwalk that circles the entire small lake, with some spots to sit, which is where you get the best views. Bring some snacks with you as this is a great place to relax and chat with other hikers. Everyone was really friendly and chatty when we were here.

Although we started our hike later in the day due to the clouds, we gave ourselves plenty of time to spend a few hours here in case we needed to wait for the weather to change.

This my friends is the time that I realised that I’d screwed up. I only packed a tiny jumper that barely covered my sports bra. Very silly move, I know, because believe me, it gets cold up here.

Luckily for me, there was another lovely hiker who was much more prepared than us! They noticed me wrapped up in my scarf and must have taken pity on me. They had brought a little gas burner and some mugs with them and made us a lovely cup of tea to warm up.

Lesson well and truly learned, but I think that has to be the best view I’ve had while enjoying a cuppa!

You might need to wait for some breaks in the wind to get the glassy reflection of Taranaki on the water, but be mindful of other people taking their photos. We found that everyone was respectful, and we all took turns, which was really nice to experience.

The winds were higher than we wanted for most of the time we were up here, so the reflection wasn’t as clear as I had hoped, but it was still very pretty!

To get the best angles of the reflection, set your tripod or hold your camera low to the ground, as this will capture more of the water.

Walking Back To The Car Park

Once you’ve spent as long as you want at the Pouakai Tarns, it’s time to begin your walk back to the car park.

Alternatively, you could also choose to stay in the Pouakai Hut overnight and walk back the next day. This would be a great opportunity to go to the tarns at night and do some astrophotography with the stars above Mount Taranaki.

The walk back down took us about an hour and ten minutes, and will be the same as the route you used to walk up to the viewpoint. The steps down can be a little jarring on the knees, so keep this in mind.

Just before we entered the section that’s under the tree canopy, it started to rain. Usually, I wouldn’t enjoy this one bit, but the sky turned an amazing shade of pink and a rainbow stretched across the tree line.

We ended up doing the last part of the bushwalk in the dark, which was pretty straightforward, but I do recommend bringing a small torch or headlamp for this. We only had the lights on our phones, which weren’t the best in hindsight!

What To Bring