Whataroa Falls is roughly a 1-hour' drive away from Rotorua or 40 minutes from Tauranga. The road surface is sealed, except for the last 4 km which is a gravel road.

From Rotorua head north on the SH-5, then on the SH-36 for 36 km. Then turn right into Oropi Rd and follow it for the next 4.5 km. Turn right into Mountains Rd and stay on it for the next 7 km. There is a well signposted parking at Mountains Rd with picnic tables and toilets.

A walking 2-hours return Whataroa Falls track starts from the parking, goes through the bush and leads to the base of the upper waterfall (on the main photo).

There are at least 3 more waterfalls there on the same river. You can find the photos of the middle and the lower one in our Gallery below. BUT only the upper waterfall is easily accessible. There is an unofficial track which leads to the other waterfalls. The second one is more or less easily accessible, while to reach the third one you'll need to have at least a rope. We saw only the top of the fourth waterfall and we would recommend having a special equipment in case if you want to see it.

Return via the same track.