Distance: 5.8kms return
Hiking time: 2 1/2 hrs
Note: Trail closed between 1st August until the last week of October for the lambing season.
The Cooks Cove walkway is not only an incredibly beautiful hike but it’s also historically significant. Captain Cook stopped off in Tolaga Bay in 1769 to resupply his ship. The thing that, to me seemed logical about this is that as you come over the hill and see Cooks Cove for the first time you kind of expect to see the Black Pearl or some other giant wooden, mast clad, sea fearing vessel from a few hundred years ago.
You’re obviously looking for hikes so check out this list of some of the best hikes in New Zealand.
At no extra cost to you, some of the links in this article are affiliate links and by using them Sara and I receive a small commission. This goes towards helping us continue to explore and write articles like this. 😁
Hiking the Cooks Cove Walkway.
The Cooks Cove Walkway was one of our first hikes in New Zealand and was a great warm-up to stretch the legs and get ready for some bigger things ahead like the Tongariro Crossing.
While the hike is easy there are a few solid up hills and parts of it are extremely slippery so good shoes are going to help. One thing we noticed on this hike that I came to love about New Zealand is that the farmers open up their land to the public for hiking. I’m assuming not all but many seem to have as we walked through several farms during different hikes.
The hike for the Cooks Cove Walkway starts on a local farm in beautiful rolling green hills that drop off directly into the ocean. I’m always a little concerned about animals that are way bigger than me, not for any real reason because nothing has ever happened but I just feel like if they were angry they could hurt me badly Haha. Sara on the other hand just wants to get as close as possible. Despite how you feel you will more likely than not be passing some kind of livestock.
Once you arrive at the lookout you have this incredible view of Cooks Cove and if this doesn’t conjure up images of pirates or Jules Verne novels then something is wrong.
If you’re happy with the view then maybe there is no need to go any further but I’d strongly suggest you head into the cove. You also get an amazing View over Tolaga Bay from here. Just on a quick side note, it is something you have probably already noticed but there are dozens of incredible beaches in New Zealand that you are going to want to check out so take a walk down to Tolaga Bay while you’re here, there is also an amazing beach in Gisborne listed in the above link.
After the lookout, you descend back down to sea level through some pretty dense rainforest and this is where it can get really slippery and falling is highly likely if you’re not careful.
Once out of the forest you are pretty much in the cove and it’s like being in another world. The day we were there we saw one other girl that was on her way out and after she was gone we had the place completely to ourselves, well just us and the sheep. So many sheep haha.
The first thing you will see when you get there is this small hobbit looking cave that looks out into the bay. We managed to catch it as the sun was going down so we got some pretty amazing light. You can walk through it which is cool, it doesn’t really go anywhere but we did it anyway.
After this, we just kind of explored, walked along the coast, looked at some rocks, took some photos, you know, normal stuff. Then we tried to rush home before the sun went down completely and we had to hike back through the forest in the dark.
Getting to Cooks Cove Walkway
Getting to the Cooks Cove Walkway is fairly easy but I’m not sure, like a lot of places in New Zealand, if it is that accessible if you do not have your own car. We drove there from Auckland, we took the coast road the whole way which was incredible.
However, the closest bigger town is Gisborne which has a bus service to bigger areas like Taupo and Rotorua and from there I am pretty sure there are smaller more irregular services. If I was you though and I didn’t have a car, I would just try and hitchhike.
I know mum always told you not to but New Zealand has a very friendly hitchhiking culture and people are normally pretty willing or happy to pick you up. Plus there are like a million travelers driving around also that should feel like terrible people if they are not picking up fellow travelers.
The drive is only 5 and a half hours from Lake Taupo and chances are you’re going there so it’s not really that bad.
I’ve pinned the exact location just below.
Where to stay in Tolaga Bay.
So Tolaga Bay is only a tiny little town and not exactly a tourist hot spot, which is actually quite refreshing after Rotorua and Taupo. You kind of get to see the authentic side to rural New Zealand towns.
The only place to stay on Booking was the Tolaga Bay Inn located in the middle of town only 3kms from the start of the Cooks Cove hike and closer to the historic Tolaga Bay wharf. The rooms are fairly basic but super cute and the building itself is a piece of history. You can get private or 4-bed dorms depending on how many of you there are. It is also really reasonably priced which is nice.
Gisborne is located less than 50kms from Tolaga Bay so that might be another option for you. Day trips are easy and accessible.
YHA Gisborne is located in the middle of town in a super cute little building close to restaurants, bars, and the harbor. It is also pretty close to the beach.
Cedar House in Gisborne is this super cute looking place, we didn’t actually stay here but it has a 9.9 rating on booking after over 200 hundred reviews so they must be doing something right. It is located in central Gisborne and they even include a free bike service which is amazing for exploring! It actually looks perfect for couples as well!
What Camera Gear We Use.
- Digital Camera: Sony A7riii
- Drone: Mavic Pro 2
- Landscape Lens: Sony 16-35mm F2.8
- GoPro: GoPro Hero 7 Black Would upgrade to Hero 8 Black though
- Favorite Lens: Sony 24-70mm F4
- Circular Polarizer: Hoya Digital PRO1
- Power Bank: Anker PowerCore 20100 (A little heavy but amazing especially for multiday adventures)
- Tripod: Vanguard VEO 2 265AB
Other New Zealand Hikes.
So if you’re looking for something a little more challenging than this but still on the North Island you should check out these posts about Hiking Tongariro Crossing and Hiking Mt Taranaki
Hey! Thanks for this post guys! My partner and I are heading to New Zealand in June for a whole year so I’m pretty excited to get around the whole country. We will definitely be giving this hike a go!
View CommentOk that’s amazing! We wish we had have had a year there! This hike is so worth it. We were just looking for something to do one afternoon and this completely blew us away. You should check out a few of the others ones we did also. All of them were amazing! Bah new New Zealand is so special. So jealous you’re there for a year!
View Comment