Whangarei Falls

The Hatea River drops twenty-six metres over the edge of a basalt lava flow in a clean sheet, which is what makes Whangarei Falls photograph the way it does - the rock face is a vertical wall of columnar basalt rather than a broken slope, so the water falls as a curtain rather than a cascade. Viewing platforms sit at the top and at the bottom, joined by a short loop through bush, and the whole thing takes twenty minutes if that is all you want. It is also the northern end of the Hatea River Walk, which follows the river about four kilometres down to the AH Reed Memorial Park kauri grove and its canopy walkway, and continues from there toward the town basin - the best way to see the falls if you have a morning. Swimming in the pool below is popular in summer and is at your own risk; there is no patrol and the pool is deep.

What you actually see

• The curtain fall - twenty-six metres over a wall of columnar basalt.
• The two platforms - views from the lip and from the base.
• The Hatea River Walk - four kilometres downstream to the kauri grove.
• The pool - swum in summer, unsupervised.

When to go

Any time; after rain the fall is much heavier. October to April for swimming. Mornings are quietest - it is a well-known local spot.

Honest expectations

It is in a suburb, with a car park and a cafe nearby, so it is not a wilderness experience. Swimming is unsupervised and the pool is deep. Twenty minutes unless you walk the river track.

Nearby

AH Reed kauri park is downstream; Whangarei Heads and Mount Manaia are east.