Tokatoka Peak

Tokatoka Peak is an extraordinary mountain near the edge of the Wairoa River in Northland. It only takes 20 minutes to walk to the summit.

This outlandish mountain, like something from a fantasy landscape, is actually a rare phenomenon – it’s the plug of an ancient volcano. The material around the plug has eroded over time, leaving only the hardened lava core. It is located on Tokatoka Road, off State Highway 12, 17 kilometres south of Dargaville.

In the pioneering days, the river pilot lived at the base of Tokatoka and would climb the peak to watch for sailing ships in the Kaipara Harbour. He would have been very fit, because the walking track to the peak is a short, sharp climb – twenty minutes to the summit. As you’d expect, the view from up here is totally spectacular.

Tokatoka peak is very significant to local Maori and features in their mythology and history.