Te Tatau a Hape/Tarawera Falls
The Tarawera Falls is the most spectacular in the Bay of Plenty.
The Tarawera River plunges 65 down a sheer cliff before tumbling down bush-lined rapids. The Tarawera River bed around the falls is carved into ancient volcanic rocks and the high cliffs are thought to be the eroded end face of an ancient lava flow that poured from Mt. Tarawera about 11,000 years ago.
Migrating eels have been seen climbing determinedly over grass, scrub, and rock, up the western side of the falls in search of habitat further upstream.
'Te Tatau a Hape' or 'The doorway of Hape' is the original name for the Tarawera Falls. The ancestor Hape (whose full name is Hape-ki-tumanui or Hape-ki-tumanui-o-te rangi) is said to have come from Hawaiki to Aotearoa/New Zealand in search of greenstone. He arrived here on the Te Rangi-matoru canoe which made landfall at Ohiwa Harbour. From Ohiwa, Hape made his way inland until he reached a spot above the Falls. He mistook the green aquatic plants in the clear waters of the river below for greenstone and so set about blocking the course of the Tarawera River by placing a large boulder above the Falls where the waters enter an underground cleft. Dismayed at finding no greenstone, Hape continued his quest journeying southward, eventually reaching the West Coast of the South Island and the prized greenstone.
Tarawera Outlet/Te Tapahoro
Tarawera Outlet is located on the eastern arm of Lake Tarawera, 20 minutes from Kawerau.
The forest, dominated by Pohutukawa and Rata and hybrids of the two, is relatively young due to the devastation caused by the eruption of Mt. Tarawera in 1886. Native forest birds such as Tomtits, Fantails and Kereru can often be seen near the tracks around the falls and river areas.
The Tarawera River drains Lake Tarawera to the Bay of Plenty and falls approximately 30m in the 59km from the lake to the sea. The upper reaches of the river contain many rapids considered to be world-class kayaking courses. Trout fishing along the river's length from the Tarawera Falls to Kawerau is outstanding with rainbow trout, averaging 1.5 kg, present in high numbers.
Tarawera Falls Road Access Permits
Tarawera Falls Access Permits are available from the Kawerau isite, open 7 days a week. Road access will not be granted for Lake Tarawera.
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