Visiting Tawhai Falls / Gollum’s Pool

Tongariro National Park is full of treasures - perhaps most famously the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, a 19.4km trek that traverses craters and passes Mount Ngauruhoe, known as Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

However, the rest of the park must not be ignored!! We spent a few days in the park exploring what else there is to enjoy. One of our mornings brought us to Tawhai Falls, where yet another famous Lord of the Rings scene was filmed: Gollum's Pool, where he fishes and sings!!

The walk to the falls is less than ten minutes and the falls are really quite spectacular.

TAWHAI FALLS HIKE DETAILS

When: year-round

Where: Tongariro National Park

Difficulty: easy

Length: less than ten minutes for the 0.8km trail

Directions: on the way to Whakapapa Village, look for signs on the left side of the road. Follow the gravel trail down the steps to the lookout and then further to the base of the falls.

Bathrooms: no

Public Transit: no