Whangārei Falls on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Whangārei Falls is located just on the outskirts of 
The
Official website
Waterfalls of New Zealand Whangārei {{Northland-geo-stub
Whangārei Falls is located just on the outskirts of Whangārei
Whangārei () is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. It is part of the Whangarei District, Whangārei District, a local body created in 1989 from the former Whangārei City, Whangārei County and ...
on Boundary Road in the suburb of Tikipunga, a popular place for both locals and tourists to visit, go for walks along the edge of the Hātea River
The Hātea River is a river of New Zealand. It flows from the north-east of Whangarei southwards and into the northern head of Whangarei Harbour. Its lower length forms the eastern boundary of the city. The banks along the lower reaches are parks ...
, or to have a picnic on the lawns and tables at the top of the waterfall near the main car park.
The Hātea River
The Hātea River is a river of New Zealand. It flows from the north-east of Whangarei southwards and into the northern head of Whangarei Harbour. Its lower length forms the eastern boundary of the city. The banks along the lower reaches are parks ...
drops over a basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
lava flow
Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or und ...
. There are many gravel and dirt walkways through the native bush, around the falls and alongside the river, the full walking track to A. H. Reed park and back to the falls in a loop is about one hour.
The falls were originally known as ''Otuihau'', and have been a common picnic spot since at least the 1890s. In the 1920s, the land was bought by Archibald Clapham, who donated around four hundred clocks to a clock museum that became Clapham's Clocks. He bought the land to prevent commercial exploitation of the falls. The Whangarei Businessmen's Association raised funds in 1946 to buy the land on behalf of the citizens of Whangārei and turned it into a public park.
References
External links
Official website
Waterfalls of New Zealand Whangārei {{Northland-geo-stub