Stream Tarawera River

Greater watershed Bay of Plenty

Height 65m/213ft according to LINZ, though most of that's in caves, with the tall drop on the side only making an occasional apperance

Form The river disappears into a succession of caves and sinkholes, then bursts out from halfway down a giant cliff

Volume Thundery

General location between Kawerau and Rotorua, roughly

Specific location Something like 30 km down an unsealed road from Kawerau, or 30 km on a sealed road and then a boat ride across Lake Tarawera from Rotorua

Trail access Easy 10-20 minute walk from the Kawerau side, or mostly easy (one steep bit) 1-1 1/2 hour walk from Tarawera Outlet campsite. Total distance from the Tarawera Falls carpark to the outlet is 90 to 110 minutes most likely.

Bonus waterfalls If you hike up to the top to see the water disappear into caves (which I recommend), you also have the option to visit two small waterfalls upstream from Tarawera Falls, both 4-5m/13-16ft high. The first one, like its larger sibling downstream, drops out of a cave; the second one is a short distance higher up in two steps. And shortly above that is a very nice swimming hole. There's not much else of interest between there and the lake, so you may as well turn around there. If you're coming from Lake Tarawera, you'll walk past them anyway.

 

Globally there aren't a massive number of waterfalls that drop out of, rather than over, cliffs. Typically such a phenomenon is associated with karstic (limestone) terrain, as in Bosnia and Croatia (e.g. the Krka Waterfalls) or China (Pearl Shoals, etc). New Zealand being New Zealand, there isn't very much limestone to speak of, but there are quite a few volcanoes, and one of the bigger ones, Mt Tarawera, overlooks the lake that feeds this river. The cliff that Tarawera River is rapidly destroying from the inside out is in fact an 11,000 year old lava flow from Mt Tarawera, a volcano whose last eruption was incidentally in 1886 and killed 150 people. How long this waterfall's still going to be here, then, is anyone's guess. See it while it lasts.

 

Not having a vehicle, I visited this waterfall by shuttle from Rotorua, water taxi across the lake and then a hike down the longer path. Most visitors will be coming from the other direction, but while that shortens the hike, it doesn't make the access any easier—from Kawerau it's a fairly long way down unsealed roads and one has to buy a forest access permit. (And reaching Kawerau from Rotorua isn't a short drive either; possibly easier from Tauranga.) While the scenery and waterfall are quite different, what it reminded me most of was a wilder Linville Falls in western North Carolina; without the developed viewpoints and impressive gorge, but a larger & more powerful drop & the NZ native bush.

 

In terms of scenic qualities, Tarawera Falls is one of the North Island's heavy hitters, with a highly remote location, a big river, perennially clear water, unique geology and regenerating forests. If you are in the North Island, skip Huka Falls and come to this one instead.