Whangarei

We passed Whangarei on our way up to Takaraka and it seemed so interesting that we decided spend a day exploring it (even though it is a hour’s drive south of here).

Almost every brochure that I read, mentioned the trails around a beautiful waterfall which hooked up to another trail to see the big Kauri trees in the AH Reed Memorial Park.

The Whangarei (Fan-gar-ee) Waterfalls are curtain waterfalls that fall 26 m. You can take a 45 minute walk around the falls and even go swimming in the pond formed below.

We parked the car and took a short path that cut through an open grassy area. It didn’t take long before the path quickly led us to a lookout where we could look over the edge of the waterfall and have a birds-eye view of the picnic area and pool below.

The trail continued over the Hatea river and down and around to the pool below. It reminded us a bit, but on a bigger scale, of the basalt petroglyph area we visited near Chacala, Mexico. Very picturesque.

We wanted to do the Sands Road Loop but somehow ended up on the Hatea River trail that led to the AH Reed Memorial Park. It was a beautiful shady trail though wild flowers and native forest. It wasn’t quiet though.There were lots of bird and buzzing and clicking insect sounds as well as the sound of the river water bubbling over rocks.

This area is known as Otuihau to local Maori and was traditionally a good eeling (fishing) spot. The trail was marked with eel-like figures.

We continued to the AH Reed park which has a canopy walk through a remnant of the original Northland Kauri forest. These trees are huge and several are over 500 years old.Read more