Ōkere Falls Scenic Reserve
Located in the Bay of Plenty region
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Introduction
This reserve has significant Maori cultural and spiritual value and features the waterfalls of the Kaituna River, including the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world.Find things to do and places to stay Ōkere Falls Scenic Reserve
Fishing is popular below the waterfalls.
for the very experienced only.
Drive out of Rotorua on SH 30 towards Whakatane or the Airport. At turn off go straight ahead on SH 33 towards Tauranga. Trout Pool road is on the left after 8 km.
Dangerously strong currents and waterfalls. Please keep to the track.
Koi carp Image: Dave West
Keep Rotorua lakes free of pest fish
Invasive species are a pest because they reduce water quality and can compete with native species and trout.
You can help by reporting sightings or photographing caught specimens of koi carp (3-70 cm) or catfish (3-40 cm).
Other fish of concern are rudd and gambusia.
Optimistic beginnings
The Ōkere Falls Power Station was New Zealand’s first government built hydro-power station and the fourth place in the country to have a public electricity supply. However, the demands of the population overwhelmed supply by the end of 1901, its opening year. The construction of bigger stations nearby sealed its fate and the station closed on 30 September 1939.
A packed landscape
Access to the site begins at Ōkere Falls, leading up to Tutea Falls and Cave which guards Pikiao chief Tutea’s burial site. The cave is accessed by Hinemoa’s steps, created in 1907 and named after the infamous lover. The vulnerable would be hidden here to escape the inevitable conflicts over the river’s rich food sources - its name (Kaituna) translates to ‘eating eels’. The churning waters of the upper river and a nearby pā/hillfort were originally named Kōpuakino by Ngāti Pikiao, meaning ‘the awful whirlpool’.
International renown
The region has been a tourist draw since the 19 century, the spectacular waterfalls and abundant fishing making it an appealing stop along the way to the volcanic Tarawera or cultural Rotorua. Tutea Falls has attracted international attention as the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world, its wild waterways creating the ideal adrenaline rush.
Contacts
| DOC Customer Service Centre | |
|---|---|
| Phone | 0800 275 362 |
| rotorua@doc.govt.nz | |
| Address | DOC offices |