World of Waterfalls Blog

Dawson Falls was our convenient waterfalling excuse to explore more of the conical Mt Tarnaki – the centerpiece of Egmont National Park. The funny thing about this classically-shaped volcano was…

Raukawa Falls was an attractively wide waterfall that Julie and I saw from afar. As you can see from the photo at the top of this page, we couldn’t get a closer look at it, which was a shame…

Mahuia Rapids was really an accidental find as we were actually looking for Matariki Falls and Toakakura Falls, which happened to be obscure labels on a map of the Tongariro National Park area in…

Tawhai Falls (pronounced “TAW-fai”) was a waterfall that we pursued after noticing a sign for the Tawhai Stream that was right off the road on our way to Whakapapa Village, where we were staying…

Taranaki Falls was a waterfall that I took time to do solo under some inclement weather that ultimately gave way to clearing skies just as started to reach the beautiful waterfall over an ancient…

Mangawhero Falls was a waterfall that Julie and I were made aware of during our pre-trip planning to New Zealand when we were watching some of the DVD extras in the The Lord of the Rings…

Waitonga Falls was a waterfall that attracted attention to Julie and I during our pre-trip planning when we learned that it was said to be the tallest waterfall in Tongariro National Park…

The weather report had predicted bad weather until Friday. Unfortunately, it was Tuesday and I was worried our hoped-for Tongariro Crossing hike was in jeopardy…

Huka Falls was a waterfall that we thought packed quite a punch for something lacked in size. Despite the Waikato River dropping a modest 9-11m, Julie and I felt that the falls more than made up…

Tangoio Falls and Te Ana Falls comprised a pleasant waterfall tandem that we were able to experience while doing the bush walk to see them both within the Tangoio Falls Scenic Reserve. Each…

Waipunga Falls was certainly one of the more dramatic waterfalls that Julie and I came across during our initial tour of New Zealand in November 2004. In fact, we thought high enough of this…

Totarapapa Falls was a waterfall that Julie and I completely stumbled upon as we were driving from Rotorua to Wairoa through the rugged Te Urewera National Park. Indeed, if it wasn’t for a signpost…

Mokau Falls was probably the most impressive waterfall of the ones that Julie and I encountered during our drive through Te Urewera National Park between Rotorua and Wairoa. This waterfall was…

The Aniwaniwa Falls (meaning “Rainbow Falls” in Maori) were really a set of three waterfalls along the Aniwaniwa River deep in Te Urewera National Park on the eastern shores of the remote…

Papakorito Falls was the last of the waterfalls that we saw while making the long drive through Te Urewera National Park between Rotorua and Wairoa. This particular waterfall was attractively…

Te Reinga Falls was a waterfall that Julie and I had to do a little bit of an unofficial scramble to even get the partial view you see at the top of this page. Despite the fact that this waterfall…

Shine Falls was one of the off-the-beaten-track waterfalls that Julie and I went looking for as we made the drive between Wairoa and Napier in the drier Hawke’s Bay Region of New Zealand. We…

Te Wairoa Falls (also called Wairere Falls) was our waterfalling excuse to check out the tragic Buried Village of Te Wairoa. Like the ancient Roman city of Pompeii being buried by the pyroclastic…

Kakahi Falls was our waterfalling excuse to check out the Hell’s Gate Thermal Reserva and Spa. What made this waterfall different from most of the others we had seen was that it was said to be the…

Julie and I made it a point to visit Tarawera Falls after coming across pictures of it during our pre-trip research. What lured us in was the unusual characteristic of a waterfall seemingly…