Omanawa Falls

It's about a 40-minute drive from Tauranga. Parking is free, and there's no entry fee. Opening hours are 8:00am to 5:30pm in winter, and 8:00am to 7:30pm in daylight saving (summer). The falls used to be the site of a power station, closed for a long time, and only opened as a public walking track again in the past few years. It's worth the visit. The area is in genuinely good ecological condition, and the surrounding plant life has a bit of a Jurassic Park feel to it. The Track From the car park, you just walk straight in. The first lookout is actually very close, and it's personally my favourite viewing spot of the whole track. From there, you can keep climbing. It's a solid bit of cardio. If you go all the way to the end, it adds up to 750 steps total, counting both up and down sections. That said, I don't think it's necessary to walk all the way to the top, because once you're up there, you actually can't see the waterfall anymore. The highest lookout sits almost directly above the falls, which puts it in a complete blind spot. There's a middle lookout partway along that's genuinely good, where you can actually see the falls properly. For most people, that one is enough. The distance from the car park to the main viewing area isn't long, but the path is unpaved forest track, a bit uneven underfoot in places. The deepest point of the track has those 750 steps, and if you push through to the end, you do get a different angle on the falls, just not necessarily a better one. Safety Notes You currently can't go down to the base of the falls. Stick to the official viewing areas and don't climb over the fencing. Practical Tips Navigation: search "Omanawa Falls Track Carpark" Difficulty: moderate, a lot of steps, wear shoes with good grip Duration: about an hour round trip (the official distance is listed as 2.1km, though we ended up walking 2.7km) What to wear: light activewear and non-slip hiking shoes; it gets windy in the forest, so bring a jacket What the Walk Actually Feels Like It's a track that's both a slog and strangely satisfying. The two main things to know: 750 steps, and a genuinely beautiful 35-metre waterfall at the end of it. From the car park, the first stretch is flat native bush track. Five minutes in, you reach the first lookout, Wairere Tapu, and you can already see the shape of the falls from there, surrounded by dense greenery. The air feels noticeably fresh, the kind of walk where every breath smells like forest. The real challenge is the second half, the 750 steps, loose stone steps going up and down, enough to leave you properly out of breath. But the light coming through the trees along the way makes up for it, and if you pace yourself with a few stops, it doesn't feel exhausting. The whole round trip takes somewhere between 40 and 60 minutes, depending on your pace. One thing to skip: Te Harikoa Lookout, the final one at the top of the steps. The plants have grown in so thick that the waterfall is completely blocked from view, you genuinely can't see it at all, and after climbing all that way it's a bit deflating. If you're only doing the track for the exercise and the walk itself, go ahead. Otherwise, it's not necessary. This is also the site of New Zealand's first underground hydro power station. Along the track there are Māori carvings and historical information panels, so you pick up a bit of local history along the way too.