A short track leads from the road to the spectacular Owharoa Falls.

Turn off State Highway 2 onto Waitawheta Road. Follow Waitawheta Road for 170 m (1 minute). There is a small area beside the road for parking and a DOC sign at the start of Owharoa Falls Track. It is a short walk to the waterfall.

The road around Owharoa Falls is often very busy with cars, bikes and walkers. Travel slowly and watch for other road users.

Water safety

Take care if you decide to swim at the waterfall. There are deep holes, slippery rocks and unseen obstacles. Currents and undertows can be very strong and swimmers can become trapped under the water – a person drowned while swimming here in 2012.

The river rises substantially after heavy rain and storms. Very large volumes of water travel over the falls during these times – we strongly recommend staying out of the water during these events and always check the weather prior to visiting.

River swimming factsheet: Water Safety NZ

Keep to the track

Keep to the track as the rocks are slippery.

No fires

No fires are allowed.