Chasing waterfalls: Kaiate (Te Rerekawau) Falls and 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.

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.

Pudding Basin Falls and Wednesday Falls

Walk in from the Ngamarama Track at the end of Whakamarama Road - look out for the DoC track sign to the right of the main car park. It's tucked away in the corner of the grassy area with the wooden picnic tables. There’s another entrance about 50m away, but there’s only room for one car there, so you're better off walking in from the main car park (it’s on your right as you are driving towards the car park). I actually walked in from the tiny car park as I didn’t see the sign the first time - this part of the track was narrow with long grass and gorse, but it eventually meets up with the main track after five minutes.

The forest section is a lovely, gentle downhill on a well-formed track. I reckon this was the last time my socks were dry. Here's the thing about hiking in the Kaimai-Mamaku Forest - you don't have to love walking in mud, you just have to be ok with it. Tall gaiters also come in handy in the tall grass on the way down to the waterfalls and the stream crossings. You will come across remnants of the old tramlines - even though the track itself isn’t too challenging as a hike, think about trying to transport giant milled Kauri back in the day. A lot of water pools between the tramlines, keeping the track wet and muddy for most of the year.

Tarawera Falls and Cascade Falls

I still remember the first time we drove down that gravel road from Kawerau to Tarawera Falls. It was a family trip (I was still in high school) and I sat in the back, napping most of the way. Each time I woke up, all I could see was the dust rising towards the blue skies. It felt like forever! As an adult, it usually only takes us 30-40 mins from Kawerau. Each time I've taken friends there, they always wonder how something as magnificent could remain so relatively unknown.

Tarawera Falls is accessed via a forestry road outside of Kawerau in the. Bay of Plenty. Even though I call it a gravel road, it's more like an unsealed road, and some sections are rougher than others. You don't need a 4WD, although if you have a lowered car, just be prepared for a slower drive. You will need to buy a permit ($10 per car) from the Kawerau isite - permits are only issued for weekends and public holidays. The isite is also close to New World, which is handy if you want to pick up last minute snacks.

The walk to Tarawera Falls from the carpark takes about 20 mins, and that's at a cruisy pace (with plenty of photo breaks). It's a well formed walking track, and I even saw someone on crutches the last time I was there. I wouldn't say it's pushchair friendly though.

Hiking the Tongariro Northern Circuit

I had packed up and was ready to go by 7.30am, feeling pretty pumped to start my hike. I did a quick dash to wash my dishes in the holiday park’s kitchen. When I returned, stubborn resistance on the door knob almost jarred my wrist. Shit. Shit. Shit. I was locked out! The reception wasn’t due to open for another hour, so I took a nap in my car and waited. The slightly later start did mean having to sacrifice my morning soy mocha though. Bummer!

Most people walk the circuit in a clockwise direction, spending their first night at Mangatepopo Hut, Oturere Hut then Waihohonu Hut. I walked it in the opposite direction for two reasons - hut availability, and that I’m a stronger climber than going downhill on loose, dusty terrain.

There were already a few hikers on their way out from Waihohonu Hut before I even reached the Tama Lakes junction. It took me less than two hours to get there. It was only 10 mins to the Lower Tama Lake (45 mins to Upper Tama Lake), so I decided to find a nice rock and sat down for lunch.

The junction sign said I had another three hours to the hut, but it took me almost an extra hour because of the heat. I’m used to walking under a thick canopy, and the 2pm desert sun did hit me with a surprising intensity. It wasn’t hot enough to feel my skin burning (I made sure I had plenty of sunscreen), but I was sweating in a lot of places that didn’t feel sexy.

I was tempted to jump into the Waihohonu River to cool down, but I was only an hour from the hut so I kept going. The last hour was mostly through undulating tussock and a few dry rocky riverbeds.

The current Waihohonu Hut is the second of its name, with the original hut located just 150m away. It was the first hut built in the Tongariro National Park in 1904. You can still visit the original hut, but you can’t stay there.

Egmont National Park: Around the Mountain Circuit (well, almost) - Part 2

As you can tell from the title, I ‘almost’ made it around the mountain. Day four was massive, bloody hell it was 14 hours! The reality is, even though we only covered about 10km, the elevation gain was more than what my body could handle. We’re talking 1,300m from Waiaua Gorge Hut to Syme Hut. So yeah, here’s a run down of the day.

Mark and I left the Waiaua Gorge Hut by 7am - there was enough light to start walking the bush track to the Brames Falls junction. The group of eight were heading to Kopuni Lodge, which is a private lodge downhill from the Fantham’s Peak junction. It was just as well as there wouldn’t have been any room at Syme Hut.

The group of four ladies we met at the hut also told us to keep an eye out for wasps. “You’ll know they’re there when they find you.” She wasn’t wrong. We were climbing a typical uphill scramble, the kind that was steep enough that I might as well have been climbing a ladder. I felt a sharp pain on the top of my head, and I’m pretty sure the F-bomb came out of my mouth a few times. I never climbed so fast in my life! Mark was right up behind me and once we got onto a flat section, we bolted. That was the first time I’ve been stung when out tramping.

Egmont National Park: Around the Mountain Circuit (well, almost) - Part 1

We had nothing but clear, blue skies as we sat on Mark’s boot having an early lunch before setting off to Holly Hut. He had made me a beef and egg wrap with Kimchi which was going down a treat - what a good friend he is! After popping into the visitor centre to check the current track and weather conditions, we set off for Holly Hut under the midday sun.

This was our first multi-day tramp together, although we had done a winter Tongariro Alpine Crossing through the Pinoy Adventurers NZ group too. I learned early on that our definition of ‘steep’ is not quite the same. We had the option of taking the usual track or taking a more scenic route via Tahurangi Lodge. I asked if there was much difference in the elevation, especially since we had six days worth of food to carry. “It’s pretty much the same.” No Mark, it really wasn’t, because there was a beast of a gut-buster just before the lodge that he had forgotten about!

© 2015 Five Foot Ronna

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