Taranaki Falls was a beautiful sight. It was not easy getting there. A 2.5 mile trek through roots, stairs, cobble stones and gravel. It was advertised as a 2 hour round trip but it took us longer. It may be because we were very careful not to twist an ankle or tweak a back. Of course others were not so careful, we saw folks that were running the trail. We stood to the side to let them young'uns by. Instead of running we took the time to stop and see what was growing on the trees and listen to the water running though the boulders. There were a few bridges where we could look over the water and listen to the music of the river. The sun was in and out of clouds and so we did not overheat with our tramping about. We went over a small bridge and saw a small waterfall and wondered what all the fuss was about. Five minutes of further walking and we came to the real thing. The water shoots out of an eroded lava flow and falls 65 feet to the pool below. We saw folks up on the top and folks down in the water. We had our lunch and enjoyed the sun on our faces. We had two options for the hike. Option one was to return the way we came, along the river and mostly in shade. Option two was the unknown. One couple told us that the unknown path was mostly through the tundra and out in the open. They also said it was 88 steps to get up to the level of the top of the waterfall but was mostly downhill from there. They mentioned that there was a bathroom on the top, something they did not expect to see. Since it was hot when the sun came out, we chose to return the same way we had come. Known shade is better than the risk of hot tramping with no shade. As is always the case, the time to return seemed much less than the time to go out. A third of the way back I regretted not walking up the steps to the bathroom. I remembered why we avoid eating at buffets, like last night's dinner.
Up early and on the trail by noon!
This straight stretch was warm on the way out but scorching on the way back
A switch back in the trail
Looking back at the Chateau
Walking along the river was magical
A big heart shaped rock
A little chute where the water was constrained
Lots of roots to watch out for
Erosion control systems in place
The river was contained in a tight ravine
The little waterfall before the big waterfall
Getting to the top
Still a ways to go
The water leading into the little waterfall
Off in the distance is the real deal
It is right around the bend
There it is!
Folks at the bottom posing and swimming
Folks on top right at the edge
Gotta get that shot!
Lots of red lichen on the rocks
At first I thought this was graffiti but more lichen
The sun came out and lit the water up
Close up of the red lichen
We are happy!
World trampers!
This is the climb we declined to climb
People up on the top and down low
Nice purple flowers
Liking the lichen
These ferns are unfurling
A new fern
Don't even ask!
