Mangapohue Natural Bridge

The natural bridge at Mangapohue is what remains of a cave system after most of its roof fell in: a limestone arch about seventeen metres high spanning the stream gorge, with the collapsed blocks below and the stream still running through. A boardwalk loop of about twenty minutes runs under and around it, climbing steps to the top on the return. Two details reward looking. The rock is full of fossil oysters - large, clearly visible shells in the limestone at the upper part of the loop, laid down when this was sea floor about thirty million years ago. And there are glowworms in the darker parts under the arch after dusk, which almost nobody stays for because the walk is treated as a daytime stop. The loop is on the Te Anga Road with Marokopa Falls and Piripiri Caves, and doing all three takes an easy half day from Waitomo.

What you actually see

• The seventeen-metre arch - the surviving roof of a collapsed cave.
• The fossil oysters - large shells in the limestone on the upper loop.
• The stream gorge - the water still running beneath.
• Glowworms after dusk - under the arch, if you stay late.

When to go

Any season. Dusk if you want the glowworms, which most visitors miss entirely. After heavy rain the stream is high and parts can be slippery.

Honest expectations

Twenty minutes for the loop. The upper section has steps and can be slick. The car park holds only a few vehicles. No facilities beyond a toilet.

Nearby

Marokopa Falls and Piripiri Caves are further west; Waitomo is east.