Karekare Falls is roughly a 45-60 minutes' drive away from Auckland City. The road surface is always sealed.

If you drive from Auckland, follow the road which leads to Piha. A few minutes before arriving in Piha Village, as soon as you see a sign ‘Karekare’, turn left and follow the main road. You have two options: either turn right into Karekare beach carpark which has toilets and a beautiful picnic area, or drive straight and park on the left side of the road as soon as you see the top of the waterfall. The track to the bottom of the falls starts there.

An easy walking trail leads to the waterfalls lookout. It takes 5 minutes to reach the falls. You will find beautiful Opal Pool Stream Cascade at the beginning of the track. The walk is quite easy; unfortunately, it has some stairs at the beginning so not suitable for wheelchairs/strollers. But even if you have one, the view from the start of the track still worth driving there.

From 1 May 2018, the forested areas of the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park will be closed to prevent the spread of, and to protect against kauri dieback disease. Some tracks in the Hunua Ranges Regional Parks will also be closed. Hence, Taraire Track is closed. Access beyond the base of the falls is prohibited. 

If you have a reasonable level of fitness, you may choose to climb to the top of waterfall via a 30-minutes' one way Taraire tramping track. There is quite a good swimming spot, where you may decide to have a rest and swim :) Don't forget a towel.