Karamatura Falls

Karamatura Falls is roughly a 45 minutes’ drive away from Auckland City. The road surface is always sealed.

From Auckland take the road which leads to Huia village. In Huia turn left immediately past the bridge (don’t turn right to Lower Huia Reservoir) and follow Huia Rd for the next 800 meters, then turn right into a well-signposted carpark. There are toilets and a well-maintained picnic area there.

From the carpark follow an easy Karamatura Loop Walk (any direction) for the first 30 minutes, then take a tramping Karamatura Track. In 15-20 minutes you see a sing ‘falls’. Turn to a short side track which branches from Karamatura Track and descends to the waterfall’s base. It takes 5 minutes to reach the falls from there. The last part of the track is often slippery, so make sure you wear the proper hiking shoes. Return via the same track.

There is a good swimming spot at the waterfall’s base, so don’t forget a towel. If it’s not warm enough, you can climb on the top of a huge rock near the waterfall and relax there, or even have lunch there.

There are at least two more cascades there - the first one is easily accessible, but the second one not. Both of them are located downstream of the main waterfall.