The North Island's Highest Waterfall - Wairere Falls
At the top of Wairere Falls.
The best views always come from some gut-busting hikes and Wairere Falls didn’t disappoint. It’s the highest waterfall (153m) in the North Island after all. Even though it was less than two hours to the top of the falls, the 400m elevation made the last 30 minutes (from the lower lookout) a challenging hike in the 30C heat.
Some parts of the track are only wide enough for one person, and add to that it was Waitangi weekend, there was a lot of giving way. The steepest section comes after the lower lookout and I didn’t have to use my poles until then. I saw plenty of families with younger children at the top, so I guess with a bit of time it’s still fairly accessible as a family track. I even saw some people walking in jandals, though I wouldn’t recommend it.
Getting there
Wairere Falls is in the small town of Okauia, south of Te Aroha. From Whakatāne, I drove towards Tauranga (SH 2) and onto the Kaimai Ranges (SH 24). Keep an eye for a right turn into Old Te Aroha Road, then turn into the Goodwin Road car park. It’s a very popular track, easy to get to, and the roads are always sealed. Here’s the Google map that I used.
How’s this for the start of a track? I felt like I walked straight into a fairy forest! There are some fairly big rocks, and you can’t help but wonder what force of nature brought them to their current resting place. The track was pretty dry, which wasn’t surprising really - it’s been a hot, humid La Niña summer. Further upstream there was even less water, with the river just a bed of rocks.
This part of the track is a steady uphill walk, but not steep. There are plenty of roots, so just keep an eye for those. It took me about 30 minutes to get to the swimming hole, which is about ten minutes from the lower lookout. It was a hot day, and I saw quite a few people swimming there. I even saw a couple rock hopping on my way back down.
I enjoyed this boardwalk section, although it can be a tight squeeze with people walking in both directions.
It was pretty busy at the lower lookout when I went past, so I kept going to the top of the falls. The lower lookout gives you a great view of the waterfall. The track gets much steeper from here, and I was glad I brought my poles. I only ended up using one because it was narrow in a lot of places. Plus with my short legs, I preferred to keep a free hand to help me scramble up some of the bigger rocks.
I know people will think I’m crazy when I say that I get excited when I see stairs like these. I don’t love the burn, but I do enjoy the challenge and know there’s usually a great view at the end of it. When I first started hiking, I used to get the worst leg cramps (mostly in my quads), and it wasn’t until I was in Perú that my friend Jorge taught me a way of walking that really helped me. He said that when I get to steep sections (if there’s space and you can do it safely), walk in a zig-zag pattern. Now I rarely get cramps on the way up, though I still have to do more conditioning to get the same results on the way down.
About 15 minutes from the top, I came across a couple taking a breather. I smiled at them as I walked past and behind me I overheard them talking in Tagalog (I’m originally from the Philippines). I turned around to say hello in Tagalog and we chatted for a while. I haven’t really been able speak Tagalog for most of my life, but last year I made a bigger effort to learn again. Looking at me, most of the time people just assume I’m Māori. They asked me who I was hiking with, and were surprised that
I was by myself. They also told me that there was a big group of Filipinos at the top, but I didn’t think there would be 30! The hikers were combined Filipino activity groups Pinoy Adventurers NZ and Katribu who had come together for the day.
The Pinoy Adventures NZ and Katribu groups - Filipino activity groups I met at Wairere Falls. Photo credit: Alberon Cerdon
It took me just under a couple of hours to get to the top, and that was with plenty of stops. At the top when you see a stream, go left and it will take you to the lookout (it’s well sign posted). If you want to escape the crowds for a bit, then go right and explore upstream. I was walking along the middle of the stream so I doubt there has been a significant amount of rainfall for weeks. I spent a bit of time here and really wished I had brought my togs because the water was pretty warm.
The lookout was full of people and it was interesting to see how differently people chose to enjoy the stunning views. There were the typical rock-chasers, looking for the prime ‘gazing into the distance, back to the camera’ spot, others took shade to escape the afternoon sun, and most just sat down to enjoy lunch. My favourite was a young woman with Airpods, who sat by herself trying her best to get away from the noise. As I sat on a rock admiring the views and eating my apple, I could see her looking increasingly annoyed at the others. Maybe she didn’t buy the noise cancelling model? Who knows. I get it though, how many people actually take the time to enjoy the view instead of satisfying the itch to capture it from the perfect angle a hundred times over?
I met up with some more of the Filipino hiking group on my way down, and they kept me company for most of the way. We stopped at the lower lookout because I didn’t stop on the way up - much like the top of the falls, there wasn’t really a lot of water. I would love to come back a few days after a big rainfall to see what it’s really like.
Most of the group were already finished as I walked past heading to my car. I came back to talk to them and to find out more about their groups, hoping that I can join them on future hikes. Unfortunately most of them are based in Taupo and Auckland, so I just keep an eye on their Facebook pages for future events. I’ve included links to their pages on this post.
Wairere Falls has been one of my favourite waterfalls adventures so far - even though the upper track is steep and challenging, the views at the top is definitely worth the burn!
Wairere Falls from the lower lookout - it was pretty dry, as you can see from the photo from the top of the falls.
fivefootronna is Ronna Grace Funtelar - a thirtyish adventurer, graphic designer and writer. A woman with a curious mind who lives for hiking mountains, outdoor adventures and eating pizza. She has a unique brand of optimism that is a combination of her great enthusiasm for life and cups of coffee during the day.