Solitude isn’t Tongariro’s specialty, but on the east side, off the Desert Road, there are two small beauty spots far from tourist crowds. In Tree Trunk Gorge the Tongariro River, ice-cold and achingly emerald, turns sideways in a frothing torrent as it squeezes into a black basalt chasm. You can stop on the bridge for a quick look down into the dark slot…but better yet, if you’re a fleet-footed adventurer… a seeker of non-touristy sights… then off you go down the faint trail at the bridge’s west end. Bring your girlfriend. Find a warm rock to heat your buns or scramble upstream to find a secluded sandy beach. Noonish sun is best to see down into the spellbinding blackwater lost-world abyss (hey, has someone else used this description before?)
Waikato Falls, downstream (north) of Tree Trunk by 10km, culminates another churning chasm of the Tongariro River. These Falls are easier to get to and photograph, but all the surrounding Power Plant works takes a little away from the natural beauty…but hey, gotta have electricity…who wants to be lost in the dark? And, the power plant enables you to drive over its bridge to the convenient viewpoint/campsite/boat launch.
