© ShakyIsles · CC BY-SA 4.0 
© ShakyIsles · CC BY-SA 4.0 
Ohakune & Tūroa
Waitonga Falls Track
Easy 4.0 kmreturn 1 hr 20 min return ↑ 316 m
Wetland · Ohakune & Tūroa
Rotokawa Pools
1,140 m WaterAlpinePanorama
Alpine tarns that mirror Ruapehu’s southern peaks on a still morning.
A boardwalk crosses the Rotokawa bog on the Waitonga Falls track. On calm, clear days the pools reflect the summit of Ruapehu and are one of the most photographed spots on the southern side of the mountain. Go early for the stillest water.
Rotokawa Pools © ShakyIsles · CC BY-SA 4.0 
© ShakyIsles · CC BY-SA 4.0 Tracks that reach Rotokawa Pools
© ShakyIsles · CC BY-SA 4.0 © ShakyIsles · CC BY-SA 4.0 
Ohakune & Tūroa
Blyth Hut
Intermediate 4.0 kmreturn 2 hr one way ↑ 608 m
© Sarang · Public domain 
© ShakyIsles · CC BY-SA 4.0 
Desert Road & Rangipō
Round the Mountain Track
Advanced 66 kmloop 4–6 days ↑ 2340 m
Also nearby
#7
Waterfall· 1,100 m · Ohakune & Tūroa
Waitonga Falls
The highest waterfall in the park, a 39 m curtain of water on the southern slopes of Ruapehu.
Waterfall· 1,050 m · Ohakune & Tūroa
Mangawhero Falls
A roadside waterfall in a mossy gorge, filmed as Ithilien in The Lord of the Rings.
Filming location Mangawhero Falls Walk
Lake· 820 m · Ohakune & Tūroa
Lake Rotokura
A still forest lake sacred to Ngāti Rangi, with Ruapehu reflected in its water.