Tutea Falls

 

Tutea Falls

Tutea Falls, the world’s highest commercially rafted waterfall, is part of a complex of three short but charming waterfalls - Kaituna Falls, Tutea Falls and Okere Falls, located just 30 minutes’ drive away from Rotorua. Easy access and interesting historic walk make these ‘three friends’ a very popular attraction among the locals and tourists.

Driving and walking conditions

GPS of the view point: S 38° 0' 42.5196" E 176° 20' 39.8436"
Parking: Okere Falls Rd, Okere Falls
Vehicle type: All vehicle types Track type: Walking track
Road type: Sealed Return track duration: 30min

Waterfall parameters

Waterfall height: 7m Type of the waterfall: Cataract

Rating:       ⭐⭐
GPS:          S 38° 0' 42.5196" E 176° 20' 39.8436"
Parking:     Okere Falls Rd, Okere Falls
Access:     30min return walk


Walking and driving instructions

 

Tutea Falls is roughly a 25-30 minutes’ drive away from Rotorua. The road surface is always sealed.

From Rotorua travel north on the SH-30 for the first 13 km, then turn left into the SH-33 and stay on it for the next 8km. Turn left on Okere Falls Rd (well signposted).

There are two options to park your car:

  • an official car park at the beginning of Okere Falls Rd (on your right) with toilets and picnic tables;
  • or continue on Okere Falls Rd which becomes Trout Pool Rd for the next 800m. There is a small car park at the end of the road. There are no facilities there.

You can start your walk from any locations described above. Below we will explain the first option: an easy 30-minutes one-way walking track starts from the official parking area at the beginning of Okere Falls Rd, follows the Kaituna River and finishes at the small car park at the end of Trout Pool Rd.

Okere Falls is found at the beginning of the track, 2-5 minutes’ walk from the parking. Continue the walk through the bush - Tutea Falls is roughly a 15-minutes’ walk from the beginning of the track. The waterfall and the river is a very popular rafting place, so you'll see lots of different boats, kayaks along the way. Spend some time at the Tutea Falls lookout and wait for a kayak or boat to ‘jump’ from the top of waterfall – it’s an unforgettable attraction, and you can take great photos there.

From the lookout, you can either return via the same track (15-minutes) or continue on to the track and within 15 minutes reach Kaituna Falls (in this case you need to organize transport from the end of the track or return via the same track (1hr return walk)).


Waterfalls nearby

Okere Falls

Rating:       ⭐
Access:     5min return walk
Driving:   1 m (1 min)

Read more ...

Kaituna Falls

Rating:       ⭐
Access:     5min return walk
Driving:   0.8 km (2 mins)

Read more ...

Kakahi Falls

Rating:       ⭐⭐⭐
Access:     20min return walk
Driving:   11.7 km (10 mins)

Read more ...

 


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