Contrary to popular belief, chasing waterfalls is highly recommended, especially when they are Northland Waterfalls! There are so many epic waterfalls in the Northland region of New Zealand, we couldn’t just settle for seeing one, we had to see them all. Our mission, when we spent a month van-lifing through the region, was to tick off all the waterfalls we could find. We visited a total of 15 falls and have ranked them from best to slightly less best here.
There is no such thing as a bad waterfall in our opinion, so it was rather hard to rank these. We have also included everything you need to know for your own adventures out to the falls. They are all well worth the visit, but if you only have time for a few, then this is your guide to choosing which ones to include in your trip. Pack your hiking boots, some snacks and let’s go chase some waterfalls!
Be sure to check out our Instagram to see more epic things to do in Northland, New Zealand!
Waianiwaniwa or Rainbow Falls
Waterfall Rating: 10/10
Waterfall Height: 27m plunge falls
Distance to Falls: 800m there and back on a well-formed track to the top viewing platforms. Takes about 10 mins. A further steep dirt track to a third viewing platform at the bottom of the falls.
Location: 7 min drive from Kerikeri
Rainbow falls is one of the most well known Northland waterfalls for a good reason.
These falls are incredible!
Named Rainbow Falls for the rainbows that appear in the mist given off from the fast flowing water as it plunges over a rocky ledge. Stand at the bottom viewing platform, and you will be able to feel the mist and hear the force of these falls! The best way to view the falls is from this bottom viewing platform, so do yourself a favour and save this one till last!
From the car park, take the path to the right when it forks off after the toilets, and you’ll come to the top viewing platforms. Once you have admired the falls from above, retrace your steps back to the turn-off and keep going straight past the car park to the shoe cleaning station. Clean off your gear and follow the steep path down to the base of the falls. If you want more of a walk you can follow the track along the stream’s edge all the way to the Fairy Pools and Wharepoke Falls about 4km down the Kerikeri River Track. We chose this longer walk and loved the bush walk meandering next to the stream.
Otuihau Whangārei Falls
Waterfall Rating: 10/10
Waterfall Height: 26.3m plunge falls
Distance to Falls: 1km loop track. Takes about 30 mins to complete.
Location: 12 min drive from Whangārei
No, this isn’t the same waterfall as Rainbow Falls, though the Whangārei Falls do look rather similar, and you would be forgiven for thinking they are one and the same at first glance. We did it ourselves when we looked at a picture of Rainbow Falls in our hiking book!
There are multiple ways to view the falls on this short and well-formed loop track. Perhaps our favourite spot was from the green bridge crossing the river. The bank on either side of the river comes in at a close second. There is a picnic table on the left side bank, so pack some snacks and spend some time taking in these majestic falls. If you are after a slightly longer walk, you can follow the path down along the river to the Paranui Falls. This is a 4.8km return walk that takes about 1-2hrs to complete.
Charlies Rock Waterfall
Waterfall Rating: 10/10
Waterfall Height: 12m high and 24m wide cascading waterfall
Distance to Falls: 1.1km there and back walk. About a 30 min walk on a dirt track with rocks and roots
Location: 7 min drive from Kerikeri
Charlies Rock is one of our favourite falls, not just for the actual waterfall, but for the amazing basalt rock formations the water tumbles down. The walk out to the falls is rather short but on a small, narrow track as it is surrounded by private land. It is a little muddy and rocky in places, so watch your step. Your first sight of the falls is after about 10 mins of walking from the base of the rock amphitheatre. This is the perfect spot to go for a dip!
You can also get to the top of the falls by following the track further up along the river. From here you can see the Waipapa stream falling down into the U shaped amphitheatre surrounded by the incredible volcanic rock that is over 10 million years old. The rocks make for a great place to sit and watch the cascading into the pool below.
Waiotemarama Falls
Waterfall Rating: 9/10
Waterfall Height: 20m cascade falls
Distance to Falls: 1km there and back walk. Takes about 30 mins on a dirt track with a tricky stream crossing to get the best views of the falls.
Location: 14 min drive from Ōmāpere
A gorgeous waterfall with very little parking. We managed to get the last spot out of three when we visited. Try coming in off-peak times to ensure you get a park. The walk out to the falls is absolutely stunning, the forest here is incredibly peaceful as you follow the gently undulating track along the river’s edge to the base of the waterfall. If you want the best view of the falls, you’ll need to cross the river on some boulders. It’s a bit of a hop skip and a jump, so do be careful. Alternatively, just take your shoes off and wade through the stream to get to the other side.
Tanekaha Waterfalls
Waterfall Rating: 9/10
Waterfall Height: 25m multistep waterfall
Distance to Falls: 4.5km there and back hike. Takes about 1hr and 20 mins on a rough track with some easy river crossings.
Location: 12 min drive from Mangawhai
Two falls for the hike of one! The hike out to these falls is a little tricky and rather muddy, but it is so peaceful. We didn’t encounter another soul on the trail. It’s a thin bush track following the river with plenty of stream crossing and a little climb to get to the top of the main falls. Start by following a gravel road and walking alongside some paddocks before crossing the stream on a swing bridge and following the Tanekaha Falls Track into the forest.
The first waterfall is reached after about 30 mins of walking along the track. A further 15 minutes, and you’ll find yourself at the main falls. From here you can follow the track up a mossy rocky climb to get to the top of the falls and continue on walking if you wish. We chose to turn back around and retrace our steps to the car park.
Ross Park Cascade
Waterfall Rating: 8/10
Waterfall Height: 10m cascade falls
Distance to Falls: 1km there and back track. About a 30 min return walk
Location: 9 min drive from Whangārei
We loved these falls. They are nicely tucked away in the back of Whangārei with very little parking at the end of a suburban street. We did manage to park the van here, so you should be fine if you’re avoiding peak times. The walk to the falls themselves is beautiful. The bush here is a vibrant green and incredibly lush. You’ll walk alongside the creek until you come to the stairs next to the falls. It’s a fairytale waterfall with lots of mossy rocks and dappled lighting. The Stairs allow you to view the falls from above, and it’s well worth continuing your walk a little further up the track to admire the stream and gorgeous bush here.
Te Wairere Waterfall or Wairoa Stream Falls
Waterfall Rating: 8/10
Waterfall Height: 20m, curtain waterfall
Distance to Falls: 1.3km there and back track. About a 40 min walk that can get muddy in parts
Location: 3 min drive from Kerikeri
This one is a little hidden. The car park has no facilities and is really just on the side of the road. You’ll need to cross the road and use the bridge to cross the stream before following a path down the side of the stream. At first, you walk through a grassy area behind some houses. You’ll then come to the top of the falls and can follow the path down to the base. Do be careful on the rocks as you walk down, it can get rather slippery here.
The waterfall itself is absolutely beautiful, and as it is a lesser known water fall in the area, you are quite likely to have the place to yourself. The only real downside was the amount of rubbish that seems to have collected at the edge of the pool. We picked up a little bit, but there was a lot. Hopefully by the time you visit, this has gotten under control, as it really is a beautiful spot.
Piroa Falls
Waterfall Rating: 8/10
Waterfall Height: 20m horsetail falls
Distance to Falls: 400m there and back walk. Slippery track in places with lots of stairs. Takes about 20 minutes.
Location: 32 min drive from Mangawhai
A great little stop along the Waipū Gorge Road. Once again, there isn’t a lot of parking. We ended up having to park further down the road and walk back up to get to the start of the track. It’s then a short but rather steep descent down into a lush bush filled valley. You’ll cross the Ahuroa River on a concrete “bridge” that was slightly underwater when we went, as there had been a large amount of rain the night before. After crossing the bridge, it’s a short walk to a picnic area and the viewing platform of the falls.
For the best view of the falls you need to walk out into the river a little, which is normally quite shallow. However, as we came after some heavy rainfall, it was at knee height and flowing rather quickly. Nathan was brave enough to wade through the water and get this photo. Tiff on the other hand stayed nice and dry on the banks of the river.
Paranui Falls
Waterfall Rating: 8/10
Waterfall Height: 24m horsetail falls
Distance to Falls: 1.3km loop track. About a 40 min walk
Location: 11 min drive from Whangārei
The walk through this Kauri forest is absolutely stunning. With board-walked sections over the river, an elevated canopy walkway to get you slightly closer to these towering trees and a fair few stairs to get you to the falls’ lookout. The lookout provides a nice vantage point of the falls, but it is the only place you can view the falls from. It would have been nice to get down a littler closer, as the falls are really tall and would be so cool to view from the base.
We had seen a few blog posts saying you can get to the base of the falls, but we failed to find a way to do so and keep to the tracks provided when we were here. As it is a Kauri forest, it is really important to keep to the path to protect these mighty trees from Kauri die back disease.
Quarry Gardens Falls
Waterfall Rating: 7/10
Waterfall Height: 20m horsetail falls
Distance to Falls: 10 min easy walk on well-formed paths through the gardens
Location: 7 min drive from Whangārei
Whilst the Quarry Gardens are great to visit, and the falls into them are pretty cool, you do need to pay to see this one. We almost didn’t go just for that reason. However, our curiosity won out, and we decided it was worth it to complete our falls quest. We actually had a wonderful time at the gardens themselves. Tiff especially loved the interactive weaving bridge.
The gardens themselves are quite impressive when you consider that up until 1974 this was a working quarry. It has been restored into a lush landscape with a huge variety of plants. The waterfall is a result of the quarry days and best viewed after decent rainfall. It’s very tranquil at the top lake that the falls tumble into. There are a few picnic spots here, so bring some snacks and make the most of it.
Haruru Falls
Waterfall Rating: 7/10
Waterfall Height: 5m high 15m wide horseshoe waterfall
Distance to Falls: 50m there and back walk that takes about 2 minutes on a dirt track
Location: 7 min drive from Paihia
Haruru means “big noise” in Te Reo Māori, and it was easy to hear why the falls got this name, even before they come into sight. This short but mighty waterfall is easily accessed from the car park and has a wonderful viewing platform. From here you can appreciate the full force of the powerful Waitangi River as it thunders down the falls and continues on down the valley.
If you are after a longer walk along the river to see the falls, you can take the trail from Waitangi and walk 10.5km there and back through forest and wetlands to get to the falls.
Wharepoke Falls
Waterfall Rating: 7/10
Waterfall Height: 5m cascading stepped waterfall
Distance to Falls: 2.4km there and back walk. About a 40 min walk on a concrete path
Location: 6 min drive from Kerikeri
Located along the Kerikeri Walkway, you can access these falls from the Historic Stone Store car park or from the Rainbow Falls carpark. Parking at the Historic Stone Store results in a shorter walk of about 20 minutes to reach the falls. The falls are lesser known and therefore much less crowded than Rainbow Falls. They also offer a safe place for a dip in the Kerikeri River, whereas Rainbow Falls are not a recommended swimming hole (although you will still see people swimming here). The cascading falls are beautiful to look at, nestled in amongst all the native bush.
Taheke Waterfall
Waterfall Rating: 6/10
Waterfall Height: 46m segmented waterfall
Distance to Falls: 1.4km to the waterfall viewing point. Takes about 30 min return.
Location: 23 min drive from Whangārei
The highest waterfall in Northland! Sadly, though, it isn’t an easy one to view. The viewing platform overlooking the falls is more from the top of the falls than anything else. You get a great view down into the forest and the river flowing through the valley, but you can’t really see the falls. There is no way to get down to the base of the falls as it is surrounded by bush and there isn’t a walking track. We were left a little disappointed by this, but the walk out to the falls is pleasant, with the track lined by ferns.
Wairua Falls
Waterfall Rating: 6/10
Waterfall Height: 7m block waterfall
Distance to Falls: viewed from the car park
Location: 28 min drive from Whangārei
Whilst this is a cool waterfall, I wouldn’t drive out just for it. If you find yourself out this way on your road trip around Northland, it is definitely worth stopping in for a quick picnic break and to stretch your legs. The waterfall itself is viewed straight from the car park, with no way of getting down to the base of the falls. It is much bigger and louder in person than you would think from the photos. We were pleasantly surprised by its force when we got out there ourselves!
Raumanga Waterfall
Waterfall Rating: 6/10
Waterfall Height: 15m cascade falls
Distance to Falls: 2.3km there and back walk. Takes about 45 minutes.
Location: 6 min drive from Whangārei
This one comes in last, purely because there is no official path to properly see the waterfall. We didn’t actually realise this until we went out here. The walk itself is lovely, and it takes you to the top of the falls. It’s still worth visiting, it’s just a bit hard to see the falls unless you want to take unofficial paths through the bush. We don’t like to leave the trail, as it’s harmful to the native plants to go tramping all over them just for the sake of a photo. So we stuck to the official path and still enjoyed our trip out to Raumanga Waterfall.
Please Leave No Trace
As always, when out in nature, be sure to practice leave no trace. Anything that goes into the park with you comes out as well (this includes apple cores and any type of food scraps). Be sure to keep to the trails so you don’t disturb the fragile ecosystems off the trail. This is particularly important in Northland, as the kauri trees are very susceptible to disease transferred from dirty gear to their roots. Most hikes in Northland will have a shoe and gear cleaning station at the start of the trail to prevent the spread of dieback to kauri. Please use these when you enter and leave the trail. Not only does it protect the trees, it helps your gear last longer too!
Please leave rocks, sticks and plants as you find them. Please don’t take anything but photographs and leave with nothing extra but memories. We like to go one step further on leave no trace by making sure we pick up any rubbish we see along the trail, sometimes people slip up and forget to pick up after themselves, or things get accidentally forgotten. If you see something that doesn’t belong, and are equipped to pick it up, and correctly dispose of it, please do!
To help you leave no trace on these incredible waterfall tracks, we have a few blog posts for you to read! We share our tips on how to pack for an eco-conscious day hike and what to do on the trails to protect the land you are hiking on. It’s always good to know whose land you are on, too! The region of Northland has 9 iwi with tribal boundaries within the area. Knowing whose land you are on is vital to ensuring you can respect the wishes of the landowners.
Keen for more inspo? Be sure to check out:
- Why You Should Go Chasing Waterfalls In The Catlins, New Zealand
- Waterfalls in Waikato That You MUST Visit
- 10 Hidden Gem South Island Photography Spots
