To get in to the falls you need to access the forestry roads
from SH 34 at Kawerau. Please note that a permit is now required
- Call into the Kawerau Information Centre (Ph 07 323-6300), it
will cost NZ$5.00 per vehicle. Email: kawerauinfo@xtra.co.nz
Open daily 9am - 4pm (8am - 6pm from December 15th to January
29th). Turn on to River road between Kawerau and the Mill on the
Kawerau side of the river, then turn into the signposted road to
the foresty (if you get to the dairy, you've gone to far, or
someone stole the sign). The Tarawera Falls are signposted on all
appropriate intersections. You will end up at the carpark at S 38°
9.378 E 176° 31.217.
Enjoy your walk to the lookout at S 38° 9.755 E 176° 31.231 and
admire the view of Tarawera Falls, where the river appears halfway
up the cliff face, then continue on to the Vanishing River.
When you get up to the Vanishing River, please observe the
warning signs, the rock is very fractured and unstable, also
you can easily be very close to the cliff edge without relaising
it, the ground often being loose scoria and very slippery near the
cliff edges.
Near where the river dissapears into the fissure in the rock I
reccomend you stick to the track, people have lost their footing
trying to get good pictures here, I don't need to tell you the
potential for disaster with millions of gallons of fast moving
water travelling down into subterranean chambers in the rock. It is
beatiful, but VERY dangerous, for this reason you must stick to the
track.
The cache should be relatively easy to find. It's located in the
base of a tree off & above the track in an area where it
shouldn't cause any real impact to the environment. It's an old
ammo can painted camoflage style.
I used to suggest checking out the nearby Kiwi Xmas Tree Cache but unfortunately, it got
plundered, now my Braemar Springs Cache has been washed away by
flooding? But the site is still worth visiting to see what our
government allows commercial business to do this lovely river and
the pacific ocean.
Link to DOC's info on the location.