Okere Falls is a small town located 21 km from Rotorua on SH 33 between

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

and

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

on the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. The town is situated on the shore of the Okere Inlet of Lake Rotoiti, from which the

Kaituna River The Kaituna River is in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the outflow from Lakes Lake Rotorua, Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti (Bay of Plenty), Rotoiti, and flows northwards for , emptying into the Bay of Plenty near Te ...

flows north towards the

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runawa ...

. The New Zealand

Ministry for Culture and Heritage The Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH; ) is the department of the New Zealand Government responsible for supporting the arts, culture, built heritage, sport and recreation, and broadcasting sectors in New Zealand and advising government on ...

gives a translation of "place of drifting" for . Okere Falls is a popular spot for fishing & rafting and is known for its beautiful lakeside and waterfalls. There are commercial rafting companies and holiday park accommodation within the town. A seven-metre-high waterfall lays claim to being the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world. The community at Okere Falls is home to a shop, and a school at Wangamarino.Whangamarino School
/ref>

Demographics

Okere Falls is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement, and covers . Okere Falls is part of the larger Rotoiti-Rotoehu statistical area. Okere Falls had a population of 378 at the

2018 New Zealand census Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the sho ...

, an increase of 63 people (20.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 33 people (9.6%) since the

2006 census 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

. There were 135 households, comprising 177 males and 201 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.88 males per female, with 66 people (17.5%) aged under 15 years, 57 (15.1%) aged 15 to 29, 195 (51.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 60 (15.9%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 73.0% European/

Pākehā Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non-Māori New Ze ...

, 35.7%

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

, 1.6% Pacific peoples, 5.6%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and 1.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 52.4% had no religion, 38.1% were

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, 4.0% had Māori religious beliefs and 1.6% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 90 (28.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 36 (11.5%) people had no formal qualifications. 54 people (17.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 162 (51.9%) people were employed full-time, 39 (12.5%) were part-time, and 18 (5.8%) were unemployed.

Rotoiti-Rotoehu statistical area

Rotoiti-Rotoehu statistical area, which also includes

Mourea Mourea is a settlement in Rotorua Lakes within the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on a thin strip of land between Lake Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti, on State Highway 33. Demographics Mourea is described by Sta ...

and Rotoiti, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Rotoiti-Rotoehu had a population of 1,965 at the

, an increase of 306 people (18.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 30 people (1.6%) since the

. There were 660 households, comprising 999 males and 966 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.03 males per female. The median age was 43.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 381 people (19.4%) aged under 15 years, 327 (16.6%) aged 15 to 29, 921 (46.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 339 (17.3%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 57.1% European/

, 55.6%

, 3.5% Pacific peoples, 3.2%

, and 1.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 11.8, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 46.7% had no religion, 37.7% were

, 5.5% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.3% were

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

, 0.2% were

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, 0.5% were

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

and 2.6% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 309 (19.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 264 (16.7%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $28,700, compared with $31,800 nationally. 201 people (12.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 723 (45.6%) people were employed full-time, 237 (15.0%) were part-time, and 111 (7.0%) were unemployed.

History and culture

The area is the traditional homeland of the

Ngāti Pikiao Ngāti Pikiao is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. Te Arawa FM is the radio station of Te Arawa iwi, including Ngāti Pikiao, Tūhourangi and Ngāti Whakaue. It was established in the early 1980s and became a charitable entity in November 1990. The s ...

, who remain the guardians of the river through the Lake Rotoiti Scenic Reserves Board.Information contained on "Whakatauki o Ngāti Pikiao" information panel at the entrance to the Okere Falls track. Their traditional name for the Kaituna River was Okere River. The river's alternative name, 'Kaituna', refers to its significance as a food source, in particular eels. Before the first road bridge over the river was built in 1872, local Māori operated a ferry across the inlet. Travellers from Tauranga to Rotorua would typically break their journey with a night at the nearby Fraser's Hotel.Information contained on "Footsteps of Tourism" information panel at the entrance to the Okere Falls track (DoC). The first 11 km stretch of the Kaituna River is still commonly referred to as Okere River, and is a site of significant Māori cultural and spiritual values. Okere River means "the place of drifting".

Marae

The area has three

marae A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term a ...

. Pounamunui Marae and its Houmaitawhiti meeting house are affiliated with

Ngāti Hinekura Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

. Tāheke Opatia Marae and Rangitihi meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Hinerangi. In October 2020, the Government committed $4,525,104 from the

Provincial Growth Fund Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician. He served as a New Zealand First list MP from 2017 to 2020 and was previously a Labour list MP from 2005 to 2014. Jones was a cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Gove ...

to upgrade Pounamunui, Tāheke Opatia and eight other marae, creating an estimated 34 jobs. Te Takinga Marae and Te Takinga meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Te Takinga. In October 2020, the Government committed $441,758 from the

to upgrade the marae, creating an estimated 51 jobs.

Education

Whangamarino School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of The school offers classes in either English or

Economy

The Okere Falls area has drawn visitors for well over 100 years, with the area being a popular day trip destination from Rotorua. By the late 19th century, trout fishing had become very popular, and for a while the hydro-electric power station was a tourist attraction in its own right. A well-formed bushwalk with scenic lookouts over Okere River and its spectacular waterfalls, the Okere Falls and the Tutea Falls, as well as the remains of the hydro-electric power station, can be found on Trout Pool Road. There are car parks and toilets at both ends of the 30 minute walk, which starts at Okere Falls, passes Tutea Falls about halfway, and finishes at Trout Pool Falls. At Tutea Falls, named after a local Māori chief, a lookout provides a good vantage point to see kayakers and rafts plunge over the seven-metre-tall waterfall. From the viewing platform, steps lead down to the river and Tutea's Caves. These steps were cut into the cliff face in 1907 as an attraction for early tourists, who would have their photo taken at the bottom of the steps. The trout pool at the northern end of the track is a popular trout fishing spot. The Okere Falls stretch of the Kaituna River is popular with whitewater rafters and kayakers, and is classified as grade 3/4, with Tutea Falls being a solid grade 4. Okere is also home to the

Okere Falls Power Station Okere Falls Power Station is a hydroelectric power station that came into production in May 1901, bringing electricity to Rotorua. At the time, Rotorua was only the fourth town in New Zealand to have electricity. The power station was the first po ...

In popular culture

In the fifth season of the CBS television series ''

The Amazing Race ''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality game show franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. The ''Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in forei ...

'', Okere Falls were the site of one of two Detour options, 'Clean or Dirty', with teams that chose 'Clean' got the chance to go whitewater river sledging at the falls. For the second series of '' Jack Osbourne: Adrenaline Junkie'',

Jack Osbourne Jack Joseph Osbourne (born 8 November 1985) is an English media personality with dual American and British citizenship. The son of heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, he starred on MTV's reality series '' The Osbournes'' (2002–2005), along w ...

tries whitewater kayaking at the falls as a part of the show's challenge before making his way to Japan.

References

{{Rotorua District Rotorua Lakes District Populated places in the Bay of Plenty Region Populated lakeshore places in New Zealand