Te Reinga Falls

This off-the-beaten-path waterfall is massive— huge flow, multi-tiers, crescendo of sound, canyon o’ spray. World fame has somehow eluded this waterfall, but when Tourism NZ spreads the word about prehistoric dinosaur penguins fossilized at the precipice… then surely the world will come! Until then all you’ve got is a short path to a lame side-falls viewpoint. Like the sign says, it’s a lookout toilet…have a seat for a crappy view…(hahaha.)

But wait. As you backtrack to the carpark, discouraged…notice the path at the railing’s end. Ahhh, you know what to do—down you go. Some tricky scramble moves let you in on Te Reinga’s hidden charms—a misty rainbow-licious lower canyon. Scamper and explore!

Later on, back at the carpark, notice the stile over by the fence corner. Some steps lead down and over to the pool atop the falls. If you’re adventurous you’ll brave a 20m swim to go explore all the fun waterfall areas hidden from the viewpoint. Way worth it! All told, the local Iwi love these falls and seem to want to promote them a bit. If you’re not very athletic, there’s really not much to see, but if you’re a scrambler you’ll have fun.