Chasing waterfalls: Kaiate (Te Rerekawau) Falls and Ōmanawa Falls
Ōmanwa Falls from Te Wairere Tapu lookout.
We’re pretty lucky in the Bay of Plenty, an hour’s drive in most directions leads to a waterfall in a secluded bush, and a lot of the tracks are family-friendly. Here are a couple of my faves in the Western Bay of Plenty - one is an easy 40-minute loop, while the other is an awesome leg-day, stairs challenge!
Kaiate (Te Rerekawau) Falls
Getting there: Kaiate (Te Rerekawau) Falls is in Waitao, Welcome Bay, and just over an hour’s drive from Whakatāne. You can go via Welcome Bay on SH2, or via the Pacific Coast Highway in Te Puke - the road through Te Puke takes you through beautiful, expansive farmland, then winds up through Kaiate Falls Road. The narrow road up to the car park is marked by large wooden signs next to the one lane bridge. There’s a toilet and picnic area at the car park.
The boulders are tall and can be slippery, so I decided to stay at the bottom of the falls instead.
The loop track can be walked in either direction and requires an uphill walk back to the car park either way you go. I can’t remember if I had been back since my first visit in 2020, but I could tell there has been some track damage from the big storms in 2023. It’s a well marked walking track, sheltered by the tree canopy. Expect short sections with stairs and watch your footing as you walk along the rocks. It’s not suitable for prams or wheelchairs.
The second tier of Kaiate (Te Rerekawau) Falls. Photo credit: Aaron Pearson
Kaiate (Te Rerekawau) is a three-tiered waterfall, and people usually take their photos from the bottom (or by the walk bridge). Not the tall fella. Aaron’s long legs made easy work of the boulders and climbed up to the middle rockpool, while I decided that it would be safer for the both of us if I stayed at the bottom. If you walk the track clockwise, this is the first stop, and what a view it is! Personally, I reckon the best part is the river about 15 minutes from the waterfall, but then again, I do love rivers in the bush. There’s a lovely swimming spot if you want to cool off, or follow the river downstream if you feel like doing a bit of rock hopping.
There’s a lovely swimming hole less than 15 minutes walk from the waterfall.
Te Rere o Ōmanawa (Ōmanawa Falls)
Before 2023, the track down to Ōmanawa Falls had been closed to the public for many years. If you Googled ‘Ōmanawa Falls’, you would have found countless articles of people using sketchy trails, ropes and historic ladders just to get down to the waterfall. Millions of dollars have been spent on abandoned plans trying to make the old track safer and reopened. The new walking track officially reopened to the public in December 2023, with three viewing platforms and a gazillion stairs (just kidding, it’s only around 1,400 return). There’s no public access to the bottom of the waterfall and swimming isn’t allowed - it’s considered tapu/sacred by mana whenua, Ngāti Hangarau.
Te Tae Ōmanwa lookout is the first viewing platform and closest you can get to the waterfall.
The walking track is 2km return, and 1.5 hours gave us plenty of time to enjoy the views and take photos. From the main car park, we walked along a gravel road to the Titoki Junction where we decided to head up the stairs instead of going to the first lookout (Te Tae Ōmanawa). We saved that one for last.
Heading down to Te Harikoa lookout, the last viewing platform.
Being the summer holidays, it wasn’t surprising to see people walking the track in jandals or jeans. The track is a mixture of compacted dirt and loose, light gravel. The kind that makes me a bit unsteady underfoot, especially going downhill, but that’s just me. After the junction, I was a big sweaty mess walking up what felt like never ending stairs. Mind you, walking in the midday sun probably didn’t help either. We were greeted by a lovely breeze and the incredible view of the falls at Te Wairere Tapu (the second lookout). From here, you have to be honest about your level of fitness. There are 622 stairs between you and the last lookout, Te Harikoa. Even though it’s going down, remember, you have to walk back up.
The struggle was real - there are 750 steps in total…one way. Where’s a gondola when you need one?
I’ll be honest, walking that many stairs isn't fun at the moment, but Type 2 fun never is. We took our time, stopped to catch our breath heaps, let people pass and embraced the burn. Te Harikoa (the last lookout) is only a small platform, with lovely views of the top of the waterfalls and lush surrounding forest. You can see remnants of the old, steep, rooty track that people used to take down to the falls. There was also a sign saying that the historic ladders have been removed to discourage people from trying to get to the bottom of the falls. As we were eating our sour worms, I heard a couple behind us reading the Māori karakia/prayer on the sign. The woman and I shared a lovely moment of going through the karakia line by line to help her with pronunciation. We had a quick chat again on the way back up when she noticed that I was wearing a Sew Love NZ belt bag…if you know, you know.
What a small world! We ran into Liz on our way back down to the car park.
Going down stairs with tired legs is a different kind of burn, so I was taking my time as my knees were starting to creak. I was on autopilot as we headed down towards the Titoki junction, dreaming about the glorious cold drink that would be my reward (there’s a pop up shop at the car park). That’s when we ran (more like hobbled) into my friend Liz from Kawerau. Definitely an awesome way to end a day chasing waterfalls!
Ronna Grace Funtelar is a 40-something desk-fit creative, weekend explorer and cheese enthusiast in Whakatāne, New Zealand. She has a big butt, chunky thighs and shakin’ more jelly than Destiny’s Child. Her creaky knees discovered an appreciation for Type 2 adventures in the bush and mountains in her thirties, and she’s been hiking ever since.
Liked this blog? CLICK HERE to donate a coffee today.