Dome Forest Walkway

Beautiful Bush with well maintained walking tracks some a bit steep so maybe not the best if your elderly or physically challenged... Though you can still enjoy a few of the tracks...

Many years ago my brother and I were transporting some wooden frames out of Auckland and we had to stop here for him to sleep. I was young and scared of being in such a place in the dark, but now with the beauty surroundings it's a lovely place.

Nice bush walk.. 1km to top of viewing platform. 552 steps one way.

Lovely place deep natural forest. I went there around dark and was too scared to venture further

Great fun to walk - go through the beginners section & then there’s a bit more of a challenging climb to a lookout after that. Nothing to see at the lookout though, so enjoy the hike & then go to the cafe at the start of the walk. Plenty of car parking.

A gentle walk(it is steep) some nice views and thick lush vegetation. Worth the effort.

Starting from the Dome tearooms carpark, steps climb steeply for the first 300 m along a narrow road reserve to the Dome Forest conservation area (401 ha) Allow a good half hour each way to viewing platform for averaged fitness.The track passes through mixed podocarp and broadleaf forest and follows a ridge to a lookout platform, with views across the Mahurangi Peninsula to the Hauraki Gulf.This track is part of Te Araroa - The Long Pathway.

Absolutely brutal. We crossed as part of Te Araroa, but even with a daysack I'd suggest you'd want to be at a very good level of trail fitness - unforgiving climbs, descents and a lot of mud to contend with

An amazing tramping experience. The initial trek is an easy half an hour way up to the lookout point. After that the difficulty changes to an advanced level tramping. The track afterwards is all natural, so a good physical fitness with good sports shoes is recommended, as you'll experience steep hikes and jumps at some points. Take plenty of water and something to eat if you're planning to continue to go till summit(1.5hr one way) or to Matakana(7hr). Lastly, follow the orange triangle signs on the trees to stay on track, and keeping yourself from getting lost. All in all, highly recommended for someone who doesn't mind walking through dense forest and connect with their inner self.P.S. There are not much photogenic places in the forest, as you will be surrounded by trees and bushes.

Good fun walk, it says around 30 minutes each way which is about right. You need good shoes as the walk is uphill on the way to the summit. There are longerv walks available up to 7 hours if you really want. Plenty of fauna to see on the way and it is about 95% shaded for the walk.