Evening walk through the spooky forest
We arrived at Egmont National Park in the late afternoon, thick dark clouds stretched across the sky, and from a great distance we saw on the horizon that something extraordinary was rising in front of us in the clouds. The majestic volcano Taranaki, which rises above the entire lowland surroundings with its elevation gain of more than 2 km, was practically completely hidden, but it affected us all the more mysteriously and powerfully. Evening was approaching and the plan was clear, to walk through the spooky „goblin“ forest.
Entrance to the national park
Most of the park is surrounded by dense vegetation and just passing through a forest tunnel is an experience. We arrived south on Manaia Road to the parking lot at Dawson Falls Visitor Center, where the journey ends.
Goblin forest
From the parking lot, we walked a little back along Manaia Road, where the Kapuni Loop Track begins. Most of the route leads through a spooky (especially in the evening) goblin forest with twisted moss-covered trees.
Dawson Falls
After about half a kilometer we arrived at the beautiful 18m high waterfalls Dawson Falls. The forest road then continues to the road it crosses and leads through the forest, from where we had only a short walk back to the parking lot.
Morning view of Mount Taranaki
Camping in a car in the local parking lot is allowed, which I definitely recommend, because at sunrise the sky is often beautiful blue and right next to the parking lot is a view over the surrounding trees. A view of Mount Taranaki at dawn or a distant view of the surrounding area? It's really worth getting up.