Waiau Falls This is a pretty easy waterfall to experience. A short path descends from the car park towards the base of the waterfall and the shady plunge pool. Julie and I did have a brief moment at the waterfall alone, but soon enough, the next wave of folks showed up attesting to this waterfall's popularity. As for its flow, it seemed like Waiau Falls had decent flow despite the apparent drought conditions on the Coromandel Peninsula. To hear the words drought and New Zealand used together was quite weird to us. In any case, I suspect this waterfall flows reliably given our experience despite the relatively low rainfall. There was also a scrambling path to the top of the falls from the car park. This one was a little steeper, and the views weren't satisfying. I definitely don't recommend taking the shortcut and trying to go down from up there directly (instead, go back up to the car park and then walk down the track to the bottom). Directions: The Waiau Falls car park is right off the road along the unsealed 309 road connecting Coromandel (7km to the west) and Whitianga (just under 20km to the east). During our January 2010 visit, we were a little bit confused coming here from Whitianga because there was a sign indicating the falls, but there was neither a car park nor a track. It turned out that we hadn't gone far enough to the west along the 309 road. So that's something to be aware of if you're coming from the east.
TRIP REPORTSFor more information about our experiences with this waterfall, check out the following travel stories.GUIDEBOOKS / OTHER RESOURCESNEARBY WATERFALLSHave You Been To This Waterfall?
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Waiau Falls
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Another look at Waiau Falls
Closer look at the falls
A Maori girl attempts to climb halfway up the waterfall
Looking down at the top of the falls
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