Lake Mangamahoe offers one of the most exquisite views on the North Island. In fact, it’s one of my favourite views in the whole country. Mount Taranaki presides over the lake, which on a calm day forms the perfect reflection in the water. Usually a view this good requires a bit of hiking, but not at Lake Mangamahoe where the three best viewpoints can all be reached within just a few minutes.
If you are a keen walker, you will be rewarded with a couple of extra views along the Lake Circuit Track, but they don’t compare to the easy access ones.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Lake Mangamahoe.
Lake Mangamahoe: the viewpoints
1. The highest viewpoint - Lake Mangamahoe Lookout
The first lookout along the trail is the one which offers the loftiest view over the lake that still has a view of Taranaki (there’s another one further along the track, but it faces the opposite direction to the mountain).
Although it’s very hard to pick a favourite view at Lake Mangamahoe, I’d say this is probably mine. You won’t get a reflection up here, but you will get the most beautiful framing of the volcano.
We might have got particularly lucky as we visited at the beginning of spring, but there were gorgeous flowers mixed in-between the greenery in front of the lake which made an already spectacular view even better.
I was absolutely taken aback when I saw it. I expected it to be a good view, but I didn’t expect it to be as breathtaking as it actually is.
This viewpoint Is just 220m from the Lake Mangamahoe Lookout car park. You head onto the circuit track and then head right up the staircase after 150m. It’s well signposted.
There’s a bench seat up there, so if you’re as taken with the view as I was, you can sit and admire it to your heart’s content.
2. The dam wall viewpoint
It doesn’t sound very glamorous, but the view from the dam wall is a close second to the highest lookout and was actually Joe’s favourite of the three.
It’s just 70m back down the staircase from the first viewpoint, and then right at the circuit track (walking away from the car park). It’s not technically a lookout as such but it offers a tremendous view.
This is the spot where on a calm day you will get a reflection of Mount Taranaki in the water.
I’ve never seen a shot from here where it is as clear as Lake Matheson, but it’s still stunning and adds a little something to photos.
The view is vast from the dam wall and Taranaki appears a little more distant, so it’s helpful to have a zoom lens to really bring out the majesty of the scene.
3. The picnic spot viewpoint
This has to be one of the most incredible picnic spots you will ever see. You have Mount Taranaki behind the lake and plenty of swans and other birdlife milling around, creating such a serene spot.
There isn’t much in the way of parking here, so it may be that you have to walk back from the Lake Mangamahoe Lookout car park which is 600m away. If you just want to take a photo it’s probably ok to stop in the lay-by and then head on.
It’s all about the conditions!
It’s worth noting that before you plan a trip here that you’ll want to be sure of the weather conditions. As I write this we’ve been in New Plymouth for six days and we’ve seen the mountain once. You can have clear sunny conditions in town, but Mount Taranaki can be engulfed in cloud.
For this reason you want to check conditions for the mountain specifically, as well as for the lake. If either one is clouded over, then the view disappears.
For the reflection you will also need a low wind speed. If we had the luxury of choice we’d have aimed for 2 m/s or lower. As it was, we had pretty bad conditions forecast for our full 10 day stay in the area, so visited with a wind speed of 4 m/s.
We got something of a reflection, but if you have the chance go for a lower speed.
We visited this spot in the day time and for sunset. It would also be beautiful at sunrise. Just watch the gate opening times, depending on time of year you might not be able to use the car parks if you want to do a sunrise or sunset.
We lucked out with arriving the day after daylight savings which allowed us a gate closure time of a full hour and half after sunset.
If you don’t get lucky - but are very keen on seeing a sunrise or sunset - you could always park in front of the gate and walk from there which would add on 2km each way but it’s nice and flat.
The Lake Circuit
The stats
Distance: 5.4km Loop
Elevation gained: 185m
Difficulty: Easy
The Lake Circuit is an easy walk but it’s not entirely flat, there are plenty of undulations throughout. The track is generally in great condition, with very little mud. There were a couple of short sections, which were a little slippery, but they were in the process of fixing up the steps and sloped track when we visited, so it should be better than ever by the time you are reading this.
It’s worth noting that the best viewpoints of the lake and mountain are located very close to the car park as I mentioned above. I would say the Lake Circuit Track is for those who want to walk a little further and enjoy the forest, as well as the odd additional view. It’s not a must do if you aren’t much of a walker.
Where to start the trail
We started from the Lake Mangamahoe Lookout car park (the furthest you can drive along the road) but you could also start from the car park at the main entrance. We wanted to start near the best viewpoints for two reasons, the first is we had clear conditions and didn’t know if they would last so we wanted to make sure we actually got to see Mount Taranaki.
The second was we wanted to complete the circuit and then go back to the viewpoints for sunset, so ending at the Lake Mangamahoe Lookout car park worked best. I’d recommend walking from here, although most people do choose to walk the circuit beginning at the main entrance.
Starting the trail
The track begins on a wide shady path in the forest and you’ll reach the turnoff for the best view on the whole trail after just 150m.
You then have a few stairs to climb and you’ll be standing in front of the lake, backed by Mount Taranaki and plenty of gorgeous greenery in the foreground.
It’s a magnificent spot and there’s a bench seat to take it all in from.
You are then just 70m away from the dam wall and another of the most beautiful views along the trail, the one which offers a Mount Taranaki reflection on a calm day.
From here the track heads into more dense forest, you’ll head right at the junction up a series of staircases following signs for the Lake Circuit.
You’ll soon reach another junction and have the option to follow the upper ridge or lower ridge trails, we opted for the lower ridge to stick more closely to the lakeshore.
The Lower Ridge Trail
Although you do follow the lake for part of the way along this trail, you rarely have a fully open view, for the most part it’s peeks out to the water and you won’t see the mountain.
It’s still a nice walk but it’s not all about the views, much of it is simply appreciating the peaceful forest.
Roughly 1km into the Lower Ridge Track you’ll reach a small redwoods grove, which I had no idea was there and was a lovely surprise! I always love walking amongst these giants.
Just before you reach the redwoods make sure you take a right turn which is signposted for main entrance (before this point you are either following signs for the lake circuit or lower ridge).
To this point the track has been either flat or undulating. After the redwoods there is a small hill to climb on what feels more like fire trail, but it does lead to the best view of the mountain that you’ll get outside of the three main viewpoints I mentioned earlier.
It’s just a few hundred metres from the redwoods and you can climb a couple of steps up off the trail to get an uninterrupted view of Mount Taranaki behind a sea of dense forest. It’s stunning and a highlight of the track for me.
To the Southern Lake Lookout
After the fabulous Taranaki view you’ll begin descending. This was the only bit of the track that was a little slippery, but it is currently being repaired so will no doubt be much better soon. You’ll come to a junction at the end of the descent, don’t bother taking the detour to the lake edge - it’s a dud. You can’t even really see the lake and it adds nothing to the walk.
Instead, head up the staircases to reach the Southern Lake Lookout. The view is nice from here but it doesn’t compare to the other viewpoints as you can’t see the mountain.
After the lookout you’ll begin descending on a slightly rougher track, with lots of tree roots and the odd rock, but it’s not slippery or difficult. You’ll then pass over two short rickety swing bridges.
They aren’t high but they are on the creaky, holey side!
You’ll then reach a picnic area and toilets if you want a break, at which point you’re just a few hundred metres from the car park at the main entrance.
Finishing the circuit
We were disappointed to realise that the last part of the circuit is on the road. Luckily for us though there were barely any cars and as the road is flat it turned out to be a very leisurely end to the walk.
It’s also very scenic and hugs the lakeshore most of the way which was nice. Part way along you come to the fantastic picnic spot, or viewpoint three. It’s one of the best views at the lake and you don’t need to worry about parking, which is handy because there’s really only a small lay by.
Getting to Lake Mangamahoe
Lake Mangamahoe is located 11km and roughly a 15 minute drive from New Plymouth. There are two car parks and both are free of charge. There are more facilities at the main entrance car park.
The car parks are not open 24/7 so make sure you note the gate opening and closing times for the time of year you are visiting so you don’t get locked in. If you want to park outside the gate to avoid this it will be a 2km walk each way to get to the best viewpoints.
The road is gravel and potholed but easily doable in a 2WD.
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