Te Waihou Walkway and Blue Springs is located in South Waikato near Putaruru. It’s almost two hours drive from Whakatāne, so we decided to stay the night in Putaruru as I thought it would be too long for Mum and Dad as a day trip. You know, I don’t even remember having ever passed through Putaruru, but I did discover that they had a cheese factory called Over The Moon Dairy & Cafe. Cheese and hikes...man life’s good!
Read MoreThe 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.
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