Whangārei Falls

About this place

Whangārei Falls, Otuihau in Māori, is a waterfall on the outskirts of Whangārei in Northland, New Zealand, in the suburb of Tikipunga, about 5 km north of the city centre in a straight line. It is a favourite with locals and visitors for walks and picnics. The Hātea River drops 26 metres over a basalt lava flow. The falls have been a picnic spot since at least the 1890s. In the 1920s Archibald Clapham bought the land to protect the falls from commercial exploitation, and in 1946 the city's businessmen's association raised funds to buy it on behalf of the people of Whangārei, turning it into a public park. The water falls in a wide curtain of several white strands into a broad, calm pool, framed by dark basalt cliffs and dense native bush. After heavy rain the falls become a roaring brown torrent. At the top near the main car park are lawns, picnic tables and viewing points. Gravel and dirt paths run through the bush around the falls and along the river, and a footbridge crosses the river below the falls. The full loop to A. H. Reed Park and back takes about an hour.